Old Problems, New Obstacles
by TheClaudMaster
Summary: Korra is a teenager who has to deal with ADD, Social Anxiety, and love. Gonna be angst,, drama, romance, the whole nine yards. Anything in a cheesy and stereotypical love story, with a twist of my own of course. Makorra. Bolin and Asami may or may not be forever alone. Rated T. I revised the first chapter but I found minor grammar mistakes. but it's comprehensible.
1. Chapter 1

**I revised chapter 1. I hope y'all like it. Added more info and detail.**

**Favorite, follow, and review because it keeps the monsters out from under my bed.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra or any of the real life products and businesses mentioned in this chapter.**

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Chapter 1

My head is buried underneath the soft white pillow, trying to suppress the incessant beeping of the damned alarm clock that sat on the broken-off top of an end table so it could be level with the bed mattress on the floor I sleep on.

When the beeping became too much for me, I unplugged it from the wall then proceeded to smash it on the dented, dull wood floor of the apartment I share with my Mother, Senna.

I lifted the pillow from off of my head before placing it underneath my head. I sat up and swung my legs over to the side; feet instantly feeling the coldness of the shitty hardwood floor. I took a look around the small bedroom trying to adjust my eyes to the morning sun that shined through the dirty window above my bed mattress.

It's not the ideal room, but it has all the necessities. A bed, dresser, a door… Kind of. But just as long as there's a roof over my head to keep the rain from beating down on me, it's just fine.

I turned my tired gaze to the damaged and tattered drum set that sat in the corner of the room. It's a six piece set with three cymbals. The blue paint is chipping off the drums and the metal partially rusty. My Father, Tonraq, had found it at a tag sale in the South once and thought I'd love it.

I miss him deeply. I think about him every day when I wake up, every night when I go to sleep, and all the hours in between. I'm glad he hasn't left my Mother and I without mental or physical memories, although I know he'll always be with us. It's just nice to have something to hold every now and again; to touch something he once touched.

The items he left with us are a blue bandanna, a few VHS tapes of home movies, some old rock R&B records, some cassette tapes of old school Hip Hop -like Cypress Hill and Rage Against The Machine-, a Celtics Rondo jersey -which I wore to bed-, his engagement and wedding rings, and the knowledge he's passed down to me in Tai-Chi in which I'm essentially a professional in.

He always wanted to make sure I could protect myself; stand up for myself and show that I'm strong. That's why he gathered his closest friends to teach me their fighting styles of martial arts from around the world.

I've been studying and practicing with my Father, and his friends, the many styles of martial arts. That includes the styles of Tai-Chi from my Father -with an incorporation of bare knuckle boxing he learned from Bumi-, Hung Gar from his friend Gansu, Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis from Lin Beifong, Northern Shaolin from General Iroh, Ba Gua from Oracle Aang's second son Tenzin, and bare knuckle boxing from Oracle Aang's first son Bumi.

I stared into the mirror across from me that was fixed onto the cracked, white wall of the small bedroom. My dark brown hair reached below my shoulder blades, and was messy with a few knots here and there. My tanned skin is dry, and I probably need a shower.

I'm very reluctant to take a shower, though. The water is warm for about a minute then becomes colder than the South Pole, but I have to take a shower because frankly, I smell like shit.

"Korra!" My Mother, Senna, called from down the hall of the apartment, trying not to be too loud otherwise we get a reported for a noise disturbance. "Get ready or you'll be late for your first day of your senior year!"

"Alright, Mom!" I called back just as loud as her as I rummaged through a splinter-trap dresser for something decent to wear on my first day of high school. "A band t-shirt and a pair of jeans should be fine." I decided then grabbed a pair of socks, a bra, and a pair of underwear then threw the outfit on the unmade made mattress before I went to take a shower.

About three minutes passed and I was back in my room, tightening the belt around the baggy blue jeans I chose to wear then straightening out the dark gray Green Day: Nimrod t-shirt that my Father bought me when he brought me to go see them when I was eight. I pulled on my Mother's old -worn out and cracked- black leather, calf high riding boots, which are the only pair of shoes I own might I add, before grabbing my beat-up back-pack, and went to the kitchen to grab breakfast.

"Morning, Mom." I greeted as brightly as I could before hugging her from behind and kissing her on the cheek.

"Good morning, honey." She greeted back then handed me a granola bar.

I let go of her waist and took the bar. "Oh, yeah." I realized. "I forgot we revised the food budget before we moved here."

Mom sighed then frowned at me. "Yes. We have to be careful with what we buy." She looked at me with deep blue eyes quite similar to mine then offered a small smile. "I'm glad I signed you up for the 'Free Lunch' program at school. Otherwise we would be living in a box under the freeway." She and I laughed at this although we know the severity of our situation.

We moved here from the South Pole to get away from the heartbreaking memories that continue to rest there. Sex before marriage, unorthodox under-aged matrimony, public ridicule of a teenaged birth, the forced isolation of our family from the entire community.

The passionate ones' who stand by old beliefs; the same ones' who scoff at the more organized and integrated modern behaviors that are eccentric to the rest of the world. The same ones' who thought it was fine to rid of one of my parents with a revolver. The same ones' who put a bullet through his heart before his loving wife and sixteen year old child, just because he chose the path less traveled by; the path in which he knew not what was waiting for him, but was brave enough to walk down without worry of getting his boots filthy from the dust and dirt he purposely kicked up. He was strong enough to push any obstacle that became a hindrance trying to blind his determination with reluctance. But he was ten times the man the passionate ones' will never be, nor even dream about.

My mom and I needed to escape the wretched people who ran away after they killed my Father like the scared little shits' they are. So we both moved in with Tenzin and his wife Lin **(you're welcome Linzin shippers) **for about a year before finding an open room at an apartment in Republic City in the Earth Kingdom. So we immediately packed our bags then left for the Earth Kingdom, and here we are; talking about our budgets.

"Well, it's a good thing I picked up a job as a waitress at the café a couple blocks down when we moved here a couple days ago." She smiled at her Mother as she opened the granola bar. "Don't worry, Mom." She continued; her tone more serious. "You won't be working three jobs for much longer." I reassured, giving her a tight hug. "Then we'll out of this shitty apartment into a big mansion back in the Southern Tribe, right near Dad's grave. Then we'll have enough money to pay for your dream to go to law school, and pay for my ADD and Anxiety meds."

I've always had trouble with academics. I occasionally forget about things -especially homework-, daydream during class, act without thinking, and can't seem to sit still. I'm also distracted, impulsive, and hyperactive, which has affected my ability to get along -or socialize well- with others, and learn as well and as fast as people without the disorder.

To top it off, I also have social anxiety. I get nervous or self-conscious on occasion, just like I did when I was being interviewed for that job at the café. But it's more than just shyness or occasional nervousness. My social anxiety is more 'the fear of embarrassing yourself is so intensely that you avoid situations that can trigger it', according to my therapist. But no matter how painfully shy I am, no matter how bad the worries and anxieties, I want to learn to be comfortable in social situations and know how to cope.

My therapist suggested Adderall™ for my ADD and Zoloft™ for my social anxiety. But mom and I had to refuse to accept the prescription because our insurance doesn't cover those medications. We wouldn't be able to pay for them, anyhow; let alone other medications. Covered by our insurance or not, we wouldn't be able cough up the cash.

"Of course, Korra." Mom laughed. "Now get going, you'll miss the bus."

"Alright, Mom." I replied as I made my way to the door leading to the halls of the apartment.

"Oh, and be careful on the streets." She added. "There're bad people in this neighborhood."

I rolled my eyes at her statement. "Mom," I began with a playful grin, "I'm a professional in six martial arts styles. I'm sure I know how to protect myself." I said as if was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I know." She said with care in her eyes and love in her voice. "I just want you to be safe." She walked over to me and hugged me tightly, which I returned as I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and back.

"I'll see you after I get home from work." I pulled out of the hug and kissed her on the cheek once more before I ran out the door then down the stairs, feeling that this may be quicker way just in case the elevator is slow, or breaks down. Whichever one comes first.

Once in the lobby, I greet the desk lady, Anne, and the door man, Hank, who both became good friends of my Mother and I. They were very friendly and they often helped us when needed.

I practically jumped down the stairs then run Chain Street, my energy pumped for no reason in particular, and soon saw the street sign of Dragon Flats Avenue, where the bus for Dragon Flats High School is supposed to pick me up.

I turn the corner of Chain Street onto Dragon Flats Ave to see a bunch of teenagers waiting for the same bus as well. Some dressed in the clothing style of the Republic, and some dressed in the clothing of the nation they're from.

The nationalities I see are two Air Nomads **(just pretend they never got wiped out)** dressed in their traditional robes of orange, except the dark red cloak that sat on their shoulders stopped just above their biceps. The yellow robe beneath was similar to that of a baseball t-shirt, and the orange sweatpants were tucked into light brown boots that wrapped securely around their calves.

There are four individuals from the Fire Nation. Two wore the traditional robes, except for the usual hair style; the yellow that should line the red of the outfit was black, and the shoes were not pointy-toed. The other two Fire Nation teens wore more modern clothing. One wore a black t-shirt that had the Japanese symbol for fire printed on it in red, black Nike sweats that looked too big for him, and a pair of red Adidas sneakers. The other wore a short sleeve, black button down collared shirt with red stitching under a dark red cardigan with black stitching, a pair of new looking black slacks held up appropriately with a shiny leather belt, and a pair of freshly shined, black dress shoes.

There are three Earth Kingdom Natives who basically wore the same thing in a different style. One wore a green button down, short sleeve shirt with all the buttons undone which revealed a skin tight muscle shirt; he wore his gray sweats so low you could see his plaid boxers, and his sneakers were dark gray Jordans with the Nike Swoosh on the outward side of them. The rest just wore the same thing, except their pants were at normal height, but their shirts were still unbuttoned.

She saw only two water tribe girls who wore the traditional, but modernized, clothing of the Swamps, which has changed significantly since the 100 Year War, which Oracle Aang and Fire Lord Zuko ended.

Anyway, the two girls wore blue jackets with added on green accents. They wore modern blue, stylish sweat-pants with gray belts tied around them. And their gray boots were a similar style to the Northern and Southern boots, except these ones had no fur lining and they were a tighter fit.

They all suddenly stop talking to each other and look at the new presence that just arrived. It looked like they all wanted to interrogate me with stupid questions that I wouldn't be able, and wouldn't want to answer.

They all stared at me, judging my character: 'Look at the tanned girl from the Water Tribe; with messy dark brown wolf-tails, trashy, baggy jeans, dirty boots, and cheap band t-shirt. How unusual. And look at her beat up, dark blue back-pack with graffiti all over it. It looks like she robbed it from a Hot Topic.' I thought about what they're thinking.

I tried to ignore these people, who were frankly getting on my nerves. But they began to whisper and I can't help but suddenly feel self-conscious. My social anxiety always comes up at the worst time. Hell, it always DOES come up.

Thankfully the bus rolled up, and I let out a breath of relief I didn't know I was holding in. I boarded the yellow monster and looked for a place to sit. Everybody seemed to be placing their bags, or putting their feet up on the seats in order to keep it to themselves or for their friends.

I decided to pick a seat toward the back; about three seats ahead of the back, in fact. Already I feel rejected, but I have to try to ignore it. I can make at least one friend, right?

The bus drove a block or two down the street and stopped at a street with two boys around my age stood. One with slicked-back black hair with a small curl hanging down the front that seemed rather intentional, and the other had spikey black hair and wore a red scarf, appropriate for the cold weather.

I was wearing just a t-shirt, though. But I love the cold weather. It's inviting and just plain refreshing in my opinion. It reminds me of back home… Before what happened.

The two boys boarded the bus and came toward the back before the bus began to roll down the street again. The spikey-haired one sat in the seat across from me while the slick haired one sat right next to me. He looked at me with shining green eyes; his character immediately came off as friendly and kind.

He placed his Irish green back-pack on the floor then held out his hand for me to shake. "Hello there." He greeted enthusiastically with quite a unique voice, if I do say so myself. "My name's Bolin Yamamoto. I'm seventeen." I shook his hand firmly, just like my Father taught me. "And this handsome young fellow," he jested as he pointed behind him to the spikey-haired boy, "is my brother, Mako Yamamoto. He just turned eighteen a couple days ago."

Mako looked to me with a somewhat indifferent expression, but his gleaming amber eyes contradicting his un-interest with… Curiosity?

He wore a dark red Rage Against The Machine t-shirt under a long leather jacket that was ripped in various places. His black jeans were very worn out and looked relatively thin to the touch. But they matched his dark red, beat-up, high-top converses. He also wore fingerless leather gloves that looked very steampunk, but matched his current unresponsive disposition, but his eyes told me otherwise once again.

That emotion sparkling behind the aloofness attitude in his eyes is the most interesting part about this boy. When he stares into my eyes with his, I feel like he sees my entire life; what I've been through, how I've gone through it, what I felt when it happened… Like he's been through the same situation, and has gained a great deal of wisdom when it ended. Am I that transparent, or does he actually see the emotion in my eyes like I see the emotion in his?

"What's your name, and how old are you?" Bolin asked in a friendly manner, snapping me back to his attention from my short, brooding reverie.

I dropped his hand and scratched the back of my neck nervously, realizing I was still holding it. "My name's Korra." I said loud enough for only him, and maybe his brother, to hear. "Korra Jin. I'm seventeen, too." I said timidly. "I'm turning eighteen next month, actually." I added, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Sweet!" He exclaimed. "I turn eighteen next month, too. When's your birthday?" He asked with much excitement.

My first thought was 'How is it possible for them to be brothers when one just turned eighteen and the other is turning eighteen next month?' But I just shrugged it off, not wanting to ask just in case it's a touchy subject.

"September 25th." I replied, hiding the excitement I'm feeling for the fact that someone shares a birthday with me in the same month. Instead, I let a small grin rise to my lips.

Bolin's eyes beamed with pure happiness. "No Way!" He exclaimed. "Mine, too!" He smiled brightly, forcing me to smile just a little wider.

"You must be new here." Bolin stated, lifting his right leg and pulling his knee to his chest to tie his green Nike basketball sneakers. "Because I haven't seen you around before." He rolled up his faded blue jeans then finished tying his shoe. He rolled up the right long sleeve of his plain green shirt the fell to his wrist when he was working on his shoe.

"Yeah, I'm new." I began. "I just moved here a couple days ago from the South Pole with my Mom into the apartment building on Chain Street." I began to nervously shake my leg. I hope that I don't blow this chance at making a new friend with this guy, and maybe his brother, too.

"That's cool." He said smiling brightly once again. "Me and my bro live on Acer Drive; moved there when we were little with our Uncle Toza." He said then waited for me to talk when he realized my nervousness. "Nervous?"

"Yeah, a little." I replied with a lie. I was immensely nervous. Frightened even.

"That's alright," he answered back, once again flashing me that smile that made me crack one myself. "stick with me and Mako. We'll show you around, right Mako?" He lightly punched his brother on the shoulder.

"Right, Bolin." He answered in a deep tone, his Adams apple moving with the speed of his terse response. Once again, his current disposition says 'indifference', matching his speaking manner and tone. But that emotion behind his eyes says he'll be true to his word.

"You're a senior, right? Just to clarify because I know you're seventeen, but I just wanna make sure." Bolin asked with a curious look on his face, but still with that smile plastered on his lips.

"Yeah, I'm a senior." I said rather surprised, seeing as how I barely passed every other grade.

"I'm a senior, too." He said replied. "I hope we have classes together. We can be desk buddies and lab partners." He said with great enthusiasm, again flashing that smile that finally made me giggle and flash one of my own to him. "That's the spirit, Korra."

"You know, Bolin," I began in the same quiet tone, but less timid this time, "you're really friendly to someone you just met literally 3 minutes ago." I stated with a smile on my face. "Are you always this friendly?" I asked, until my anxiety kicked in. "I mean, no offence, but… You just seem like a really nice person, so I was just curious…" I added nervously.

"I'm nice to everyone." He began; seemingly unoffended which made me sigh discreetly in relief. "Especially to new kids, because if they don't have a friend then they need one. Friends are good to have when you go to this school." He finished then looked at me; expression more serious.

"Why?" I asked simply as I began to nervously play with my hands along with shaking my leg.

"Because this school is mixed with the poor and the rich." He began, making himself more comfortable. "It used to be a private school for the high-class. You know? A high-status school where everyone's smart." He continued.

"That doesn't explain why the school is diversified between the high and low classes." I pointed out.

"Well, the school was shut down in June because the diocese couldn't find someone who was experienced enough to be the permanent principal of such a prestigious school after the former one shot up the school when he was drunk and on crystal meth." He said, capturing my attention. "Later, he was put on trial and went for the insanity defense which landed him in the nut house, causing him to have his teaching license revoked." He said, becoming into the story enraptured as myself.

This was really starting to get interesting, but it made me nervous. I was afraid of what he would tell me when he ties his 'need a friend at this school' concept with the reopening of the school.

"So the diocese decided to hire a substitute principle for two weeks starting at the end of May then the first week of June before they decided to let the students out for vacation early so they can close the school and reopen it as a public school to the low-class as well as the high-class that were still registered there; the low-class being from ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade." He said in one breath; pausing to catch it then continued. "They hired a principal after doing a thorough background check on him and found he was legit." He paused. "You getting all of this?" He asked before continuing.

I nodded. "So what happened when the high-class students returned to school and found out that the low-class was going?" I asked the most important question on my mind.

"Some of the high-class kids didn't mind, but the ones who did mind were really awful toward them." He began once again. "I know they were because Mako and I were freshman at the school." He added. "So once the bullying became a real problem, the school put out a zero tolerance for bullying rule. The bullying didn't stop, though. They just made it less obvious. Now they bully you behind the teachers' backs and the whole nine yards."

I looked down with a nervous look and he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong Korra?"

"Nothing." I lied. "It's just that I was bullied at my old school." I lied again, because 'bullying' was an understatement as opposed to what I went through; what I was exposed to because of choices that are frowned upon in that traditional village.

"Well, just stick with Mako and I and you'll be just fine." He reassured.

I smiled at him. "Thanks, Bolin." I faked my composure. Because, although he promised protection, I was sure there was trouble waiting for me.

"What are friends for?" He exclaimed.

He's right after all. Though I know I'll be teased and bullied, I do have a new friend, or two, to stand up for me.

The bus pulled up in front of the school. It was really big; made out of what looked like cut stone. There were three buildings all in a row; a large pavilion centered with a magnificent fountain connected it all together.

Bolin, Mako, and I were the last ones to get off the bus and walk through the crowd of teens to receive our schedules. They were from all the nations, as far as I can tell. There was Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, Air Nomad, but I could only spot a few of Northern and Southern decent though; mostly just those from the Swamps.

"What are you looking for, Korra?" Bolin asked, trying to look with me.

"Are there any students here from the North or South Tribes?" I asked. "I can't see any."

"As diverse as this school is," Mako began in that deep voice of his, "there aren't many students from the North or South; mostly just people who're from the Swamps."

"There ARE students here from the North and South, though." Bolin added. "Probably around… Fifteen?" He guessed.

"Out of all these people?" I said amazed. "That's insane."

As I was looking for at least one tanned individual, a renewed black and red 1975 Mustang Cobra pulled recklessly into the parking space beside me, nearly hitting me. Thankfully my senses and reflexes are stronger than the average human, thanks to martial arts. So I jumped up, and backward, landing on the hood of someone's Subaru Impreza. Of course everyone had to turn their attention to me.

As soon as the door of the Mustang opened, I began to yell at the assailant. "What the fuck is wrong with you!? Watch where you're fucking going!" I exclaimed then got a view of the person that nearly killed me.

She's tall and wearing large, black tinted aviators; she had long, dark and wavy hair. She's wearing a black tank-top under a dark maroon leather blazer -a company logo on it- with a pointed collar that's just the right size to complement her black skinny jeans, which are tucked securely into knee-high leather boots with short heels. She wears brown leather gloves that extend a little less than half way passed her wrists. And her makeup is purple eye shadow, black eyeliner, and dark red lipstick. She is gorgeous.

"I'm so sorry," the woman began, "I didn't see you there!" She said in a perfectly sorrowful tone.

"How can you not see me!?" I began, jumping off the hood of the Subaru, while slightly fixing my wolf-tails, marching down the asphalt of the parking lot to tell her off. "I mean I was ju- I was just uh…" She took off her sunglasses, revealing her wonderful, magnificent, stunning jade-green eyes.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized again, "are you alright?" She asked, lightly grabbing my arm and checking for injuries.

"No, no- I mean, uh… Yes, yeah I, uh- I'm fine. Not hurt at all." I forced out, stumbling over my words.

The young woman looked behind her to see all the other kids staring at them. "Don't you people have something better to do!?" She practically yelled at them, quite intimidatingly, making them go about their business.

"Asami!" Bolin shouted and walked over to us. "This is my new best friend, Korra Jin." He began. "She's seventeen and shares a birthday with me." He smiled with pride and happiness.

She extended her hand for me to shake. "It's nice to meet you, Korra." She said politely before she let go of my hand. "I'm Asami Sato. I'm eighteen and I'm a senior." She paused for a second before speaking again. "Again, I'm really sorry for almost hitting you with my car." She flashed those politely sorrowful jade eyes at me again. I just can't stay mad at this girl, can I?

"It's fine, really." I began, trying to make those sorry eyes turn to happy ones. "I was out of line cussing at you."

"Guys," Mako cut in, "we should go grab our schedules before we're late for A period." He began walking, Bolin quickly following him along with Asami and I.

I made friends so far; now let's see if I can make it through the year without any major difficulties. Oh, who am I kidding? Of course there's gonna be plenty of complications this year, especially with my ADD and Social Anxiety.

Like my Father used to tell me when I was confused and angry: "There are always going to be new obstacles to overcome, but the same old problems to deal with. Remember that, Korra; Old Problems, New Obstacles."

The four of us arrived in the gymnasium and received our class schedules from a teacher then compared them.

Korra:  
Day 1:  
A: Spanish acp  
B: PE  
C: Biology acp  
D: Music  
Lunch  
E: English acp  
F: Social Studies acp  
G: Algebra acp

Bolin:  
Day 1:  
A: Spanish honors  
B: PE  
C: Biology honors  
D: Music  
Lunch  
E: English acp  
F: Social Studies acp  
G: Advanced Calculus

Asami:  
Day 1:  
A: Spanish honors  
B: PE  
C: Biology honors  
D: Music  
Lunch  
E: English honors  
F: Social Studies acp  
G: Algebra Honors

Mako:  
Day 1:  
A: Spanish acp  
B: PE  
C: Biology acp  
D: Music  
Lunch  
E: English acp  
F: Social Studies acp  
G: Algebra acp

"Alright…" Asami began. "The schedule is broken up into seven days with seven classes; six classes in one day with the seventh class as the period that drops on the next day." She explained, mainly directed at me, as Bolin nodded his head, understanding her completely while Mako and I just stared at her blankly.

"What…?" We said simultaneously.

She rolled her eyes. "Mako, you've been here since the ninth grade." She huffed with slight annoyance. "You should know how the schedule works like the back of your hand."

"First of all, I'm not good with science of the human body. And second of all, you should know I'm not the shiniest knife in the drawer." Mako whined. Apparently he had left the stoic character he was before on the bus.

"I'll explain at lunch." She sighed. "Well let's get to class." She said then began to walk away with the rest of us following suit.

"Follow me, Korra." Mako smiled at me then gestured for me to follow him after taking a quick look at my schedule. "Mrs. Pema is really nice and I want you to meet her." He said enthusiastically.

I became a little skeptical of his sudden deviation from the stoic character he gave off on the bus to the happy-go-lucky friendly guy he seemed to be now. But I shrugged it off and just went with it. Then again, I couldn't shake the feeling of slight déjà vu when his persona suddenly became animated.

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**I hope you all enjoyed the revised version of chapter one. Which I realize now that information from this revised chapter and chapter two might not mix... Whatever, I'll figure it out later.**

**-TheClaudMaster**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the revised version of chapter 2. Wow, I'm NOT doing good this week. Damn.  
But it's Sunday and I DO have school tomorrow, so it's gonna be rather difficult to shuffle  
between school work and writing. But I'll do all I can. I promise ;)**

**Favorite, Follow, and Review because keeps me sane.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra or any of the real life products or businesses that are mentioned in this chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter 2

Korra's POV

Mako held the door open for me. There was no one else in the class so we must be early. He then led me to the Spanish teacher's desk. The name plate that sat on the front of the desk read 'Mrs. Kaze.' Mako gave a wide smile and cleared his throat so the lady would notice them.

She looked up from what looked like book reports from the summer. I wonder if she graded mine already. But that's beside the point. The woman looked to be in her mid-forties; long brown hair tied up in a neat bun, chopsticks **(I know it sounds weird to wear eating utensils in our hair, but it's really a Japanese style) **holding it together. She wore a white button down shirt that's tucked into a black skirt. I couldn't see her shoes, but judging by the sound they made when they clacked on the floor as she stood up to greet us I assume they're high-heels.

"Well good morning, Mako. ¿Cómo estás?" She greeted him in Spanglish. "It's nice to see you." She said then looked to me. "Who's this? New student?" She asked before shaking my hand.

"Yes." He let out a content sigh then smiled at me. "Korra, this is Sra. Kaze -but we just call her Mrs. Pema, or Pema-. And Pema," he continued, "this is Korra Jin. She's in all my classes, even all my studies." He said in one breath then placed a warm, strong hand on my shoulder.

"Ah, Korra," Sra. Kaze began. "I've read your record. You speak perfect Inuit, and are 'decent in Spanish' as it says on your record. Am I right?" She asked in a soft and caring tone.

"Um, yes… Yes I'm fluent in Inuit and satisfactory in Spanish." I replied tensely.

"That's quite impressive." She complimented, causing me to nod my head to thank her. "Well, welcome to my class." She spoke quite calmly.

Mako lead me to a couple seats in the back of the room where I saw his name carved in small letters on the bottom left corner of the desk. He gestured toward the desk to the left of his as he placed his bag under the desk against his legs. I did the same then waited for class to begin.

"The bell will ring in about…" Mako mumbles something then looked to the analog clock that was on the wall above Mrs. Pema. He counted with the intervals under his breath and used his index finger to hold his place between each number. Just like I do. "The bell will ring in… 3 minutes." He concluded with somewhat of a sheepish tone.

It was frightening to see him be so friendly because of his mood on the bus, but comforting to know that there IS someone like that who has potential to become friends with me who acts just like me. Without the social anxiety part, of course.

Mako's sudden conversion of personalities is totally familiar to me. He reminds me of myself in some ways. Like sudden happiness that was pulled out of thin air to replace an indifferent mood, or all day depression caused by brooding too much, or maybe he's just a good judge of character and sees that I've been fighting an unfair battle that will never be in my favor. He just seems so much like me.

The bell rang **(rung? runged? ringed? barked? mowed? played the theme to mission impossible?)** and all the acp students barged through the door and sat down in their seats.

"Alright lets go over the rules." Mrs. Pema began. "First rule: do not yell. Second rule: do not answer or ask questions unless I choose you to. Third rule: do not throw objects, especially across the room. And final rule: respect one another. Do not bully because we have a zero tolerance for that here." She finished then handed out an introduction work-sheet.

During class, I observed Mako. He paid close attention to Mrs. Pema, and he couldn't seem to sit still. He played with his hair, tapped his pen on his book, and shook his leg.

There's just something about this guy that urges my curiosity to know more about him. But if I ask him, what if he takes it the wrong way? What if he thinks I'm pushing it, or hitting a touchy subject? I don't want him to think I'm insane. Maybe I'll ask Bolin. Maybe.

First period ended and Mako and I were off to PE. Mako told me that if the students call PE 'Gym' they scold you because the proper term for 'Gym' is 'PE', 'Phys. Ed.', or 'Physical Education.' If you ask me, that's a stupid rule. But whatever floats their boat is just fine by me.

We walked into the gymnasium and I can't believe I didn't notice how nice it was before when I got my schedule here. The Court was shiny and spotless with six hoops; four of the hoops being retractable and off to the side in front of the bleachers which were retractable as well. The poles that hold the volley ball net, which was currently taken down and probably stored in the supply closet adjacent to the emergency exit doors, are a shiny metal painted white with a later and a spot for the ref placed on one of the poles. There are two sets of stairs of five steps on either side of the gym that lead to the weight room, the front door leading outside, the bathroom, and the locker rooms.

Everyone was messing around with each other and just being boisterous and annoying in general. All the teenagers were either sitting on the bleachers, laughing loudly and obnoxiously, or running around on the court yelling somewhat vulgar statements or trying to jump up and grab the rim of the basketball hoop. But Mako and I just sat on the bench near the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream machine silently until he broke the silence.

"I'm sorry about how I acted on the bus this morning, Korra." He began. "My brother was just so nice and friendly to you and…" His words trailed off as he looked at his feet and started to rub the wood of the bench.

I looked at him and saw the sorrow in his nervous motions. "It's alright, Mako." I tried to say in an indifferent tone, yet caring for his own feelings. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I mean I kind of did." He began once again. "When we compared our schedules and I saw that we were having all our classes together," he opened his mouth trying to find the right words then looked at me with those amber eyes, "I knew we were gonna be seeing a lot of each other. So I just thought that we could become…" He paused and sighed as he looked down once more. "Well, pals. I thought that since Bolin was so nice to you that I could be the same- You know? Be a good person." He finished then turned his head to give me nervous grin.

I gave him back a grin, but I was totally freaking out on the inside. He is so like me; wanting to make friends with someone who reminds you of yourself. That is so me, and it's scaring me that he's just… I can't put my finger on it, but… I think I can relate to him. Tell him about my problems without worrying about what he'll say. But then again, I am a little worried about what he thinks about me. I don't know I'm so confused.

"Hey Mako, Korra!" Bolin greeted, making me turn my gaze from Mako to him and Asami.

"What's up, guys?" Mako said as he got up, giving a fist-pound to Bolin then a kiss on the cheek to Asami, which pissed me off a little for some reason.

"Hello, Korra." Bolin said then pulled me up off the bench to give me a friendly, tight hug.

"Hey… Bolin…" I forced out of my collapsing lungs. "You can let go now…" He let go of me then gave a sheepish grin and a nervous chuckle.

"Hey, Korra." Asami then greeted, going in for the hug.

I decided to return the hug. "Hey, Asami."

She pulled back and looked at me with those eyes. "Again, I'm so sorry for almost running you over." She apologized again. "It was an accident, and I hope we can be friends." She gave me a hopeful smile that was just tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Really, it's fine." I said with much sincerity. "Yeah, sure." I said nervously, my social anxiety kicking in.

Just then, a man with dark, tanned skin, and long, brown hair tied in the back with three thick locks of hair held together with beads came out of his office and walked over to the bench where the four of us were, attention directed toward me. He has small, blue eyes; he wore a plain blue t-shirt with white stitching, a pair of blue sweat pants with white sets of stripes running down both sides of the legs, and dirty white running sneakers. His dark skin, blue eyes, and hair-style were definitely Water Tribe. Northern style specifically.

"You're Korra Jin, right?" The man asked in a tone that matched his appearance.

I looked into his eyes, somewhat intimidated by his husky tone, but discreetly happy to see someone from the Water Tribe. "Uh- Yes, Sir." I answered, trying to sound confident but failing. "I'm Korra Jin." I started to play with the ripped pocket of my jeans.

"Nice to meet you." He shook my hand, and I shook back firmly. "My name is Tarrlok Agloolik; call me Mr. T **(He Pity The Fool!) **or Coach Tarr if you're on the girls' volleyball team." He greeted before he got down to business. "Now I've read your record and saw that you are skilled in six styles of martial arts. Am I correct?" He said, making Mako, Bolin, and Asami all stare at me in awe.

Agloolik is definitely an Inuit name from the Water Tribe; so meeting a Northerner was kind of relieving. I need someone to relate to here that's from the South, but I guess the North is the next best thing. Although I still am started to feel self-conscious, but for what reason? "Uh- Yes… Yes I am…" I answered timidly.

"Now my record on you has been cut off in the copying machine, so I could not read what styles you are skilled in." He said then took out a pen and notepad. "Could you please tell me what they are?" He asked, getting his pen ready.

I panicked a little. What if Asami thinks I could have beaten her when she nearly ran into me with her car? What if Bolin becomes intimidated by me then tries to avoid me? Oh, Spirits! What if Mako doesn't want to be my 'pal' anymore? Oh crap! What do I do? Tell the truth, or evade the question? Maybe if I avoid it now, I can tell him after class. Yes, I'll try that.

"Korra, please tell me what martial arts you are an expert in." Mr. T asked me impatiently.

"Well, um…" I trailed off purposely then gave him genuine nervous eyes. But he was good at this and gave me a reason that made me change my decision to telling him the truth.

"Korra," he began in a softer tone, but still strong, "If you tell me what you can do, you'll get extra, and usable, credits for when you go to college. And maybe obtain a scholarship." He got his pen ready once again. "Now, what types of martial arts are you skilled in?"

I took a deep breath and stood up straight, nervous on the inside, but confident on the outside. You could call it lying to yourself, but when you have ADD and social anxiety, it's called progress. "Well, I'm an expert in the fighting styles of Hung Gar, Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis, Northern Shaolin, Ba Gua, bare knuckle boxing, and, if you'd like to consider it a fighting style, Tai-Chi with a fighting twist using bare knuckle boxing, of course." I said in one breath, causing the four of them to stare at me, along with some unwanted visitors.

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out, save for a quick exhale of astonishment. "I thought you were going to say American karate, kenpo, judo, or even jujitsu, but… I had no idea you were going to tell me different styles from around the world, including MMA. I mean…" His words trailed off as he tried to figure out what to say next. "I recommend you try out for a sports team here, or even teach a class for community service." He suggested, making me smile a bit.

This caused me to become pleased with my accomplishments despite my ADD and anxiety. But I was still nervous for whatever reason. "Well, I have other stuff going on, so…" I said, being completely truthful without telling him everything. I did have a job to put food on the table, and I need to help my mother out with creating and revising budgets for food, utilities and such. Not to mention I need to build a schedule for after school help in some of my classes, and go to my therapy appointments twice every month, which we can barely pay for. So yes, I really do have other stuff going on. And home life is my first priority.

"Well, think about it." He said, putting the pen and notepad in the pocket of his sweats before he turned around to face the crazy teens. "Alright, everyone! Let's sit down, take attendance, and then go over the rules!" He shouted in a threatening tone that caused everyone to gather around him, sit on the stairs, and shut their mouths.

"Alright, Scrubs…" He began as he paced in front of the stairs. "First rule: Do not speak unless spoken to, or unless you raise your hand and wait patiently. Second rule: Absolutely NO vulgar language in this building; any building for that matter." He stopped pacing at the middle of the small stair case then stood erect with his hands placed behind his back; a death stare of authority breaking everyone's outer shell, except for me. His intimidating glare was still eminent, but he gave me a subtle grin that only I noticed; caused me to smile back at him.

"Third rule: Play nice and by the rules." He finished to a boy in front of me with short and curly, dark brown hair, wearing -from what I can see- a light blue t-shirt and a pair of baggy gray sweat-pants. "Yes?" He sighed. "What is your question, Howl?" He asked, somewhat irked.

"Um, doesn't using the word 'and' between those two statements make it two rules?" He asked in a smart-ass voice. I couldn't see him, but I can envision the smirk that's plastered on his face.

"Howl, I do not have time for stupid questions." He sighed and clutched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

"There's no such thing as stupid questions, just stupid people." A Fire Nation girl said, making everyone, save for Howl, laugh. Including me and Mr. T.

"Alright, everyone. Calm down." Mr. T ordered, back to his authoritative speaking manner. "Fourth rule: no messing around in the locker rooms. That means NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES!" He exclaimed, getting a wave of disappointed sighs and mutters.

I didn't mind that rule, considering I don't own an electronic device. I don't even think I would mind if I did own one. I mean, living without any devices for literally my entire life hasn't had an effect on me. I can live without an iPhone or MacBook.

"And last but not least… The fifth rule: NO BULLYING!" He practically screamed. "There is a zero tolerance for bullying at this school. So if I see ANYONE mistreating a student, you will earn yourself -including the ones who were said bully's lackeys- an office detention with the principal." He looked at everyone in the room, except Me, Mako, Bolin, and Asami. "AM I CLEAR?" He asked in his loud tone.

"Yes, Mr. T." Everyone answered in unison, though some voices sounded sarcastic.

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**Made it better, I think. But y'all can give me suggestions and stuff if you want.**

**Anywho, I'll see you cool gator-cats on the flip side B|**

**-TheClaudMaster**


	3. Chapter 3

**I told myself -and a few others- that I was going to post the third chapter yesterday, but the "Manage Stories' subcategory of 'Publish' was broken and/or under construction 'er something. But the important thing is it's here now.**

**Fave, Follow, Review. Thanks**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra or any of the real life products or businesses that are mentioned in this chapter.**

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Chapter 3  
Korra's POV

After B period: PE, Mako and I walked to Biology, period: C. We found our seats next to each other and the teacher, Mr. Saikhan, basically explained the same set of rules Mrs. Pema and Mr. T did.

He then assigned us lab partners with the person sitting next to us. I was jumping around like a mental patient in my head, because I don't know anyone else in the class besides Mako. I don't know what I would say, let alone do, if I were assigned to a complete stranger. I mean, Mako's still kind of a stranger to me, but I think we can really get to know each other while working on the project Mr. Saikhan is about to announce.

Once Mako heard the news he turned his head and smiled so wide I thought he might break his jaw. But I gave him a genuine smile back before I turned my attention back to the front of the class, as did he.

"You will have two and a half weeks to work on this project, so I suggest getting in contact with your partner." He said in a low toned voice. "So I give you permission to take out your cell phones," the whole class, except for me and Mako, gasped in pure joy. "BUT!" he continued, silencing their whispers. "You may only use them to exchange contact information and to use as a source of information!" He exclaimed. "No face-chat, or snap-book; whatever it is you kids use these days." He finished, causing everyone including Mako -and save for me- to chuckle at his misinformation of social media.

I have no social media account, and probably will never have one. It sounds really obnoxious and a waste of valued time that could be used to be productive. But every popular kid in my high school in the south had a Twitter™ or Facebook™. They used it once to spread a rumor about me; that I had sexual intercourse with the principal in order to get on his good side. It obviously it wasn't true, but they believed it anyhow.

"So," Mako turned to me, pulling me out of my saddening thoughts. He pulled out red, T-Mobile™ flip phone, clicked a few buttons then looked up to me again. "What's your cell-phone number?"

"I don't have a cell phone." I replied simply, as if it was obvious.

"Oh. Then what's your e-mail?" He asked, clicking a few more buttons on his phone.

"I don't have an e-mail, either." I answered, looking down at the smooth top of my desk.

"Um… What's your home phone number?" He asked, again clicking the buttons on his phone.

"555… 8479." I told him slowly so he could get it all without having me repeat it. "And when you call," I continued, "don't call more than once. If I don't pick up, just leave a message." I added; Mako writing down what I'm saying while I talk. "And don't call before 6:00." I finished.

He looked up from writing down my instructions and looked at me skeptically. "Why?" He asked innocently.

I wanted to tell him it was because I have a part-time job on Mondays (4:00pm-5:30pm), Wednesdays (4:00pm-5:00pm), and Saturdays (11:00am-1:00pm), but I don't want him to think I have a job at a young age because I'm poor. "I just… Have a lot to do, you know?"

His eyes sparkled again, but only for a quick second. "Alright, I'll give you my cell." He ripped a little piece of paper from his note-book then began to write down a series of numbers. "555… Uhh… 751… 4…" He mumbled under his breath then handed me the piece of paper, which I placed in my binder to keep it safe.

About twenty-five minutes later the bell rang then Mako and I were off to Music, period: D, which was a small, crowded room filled with different types of instruments, but only little desks. But the class in itself was rather small. The entire class consisted of me, Mako, Bolin, Asami, and 7 other kids I don't know.

We sat down next to each other again just before the bell rang, and the teacher introduced herself. "Hello, class." She greeted. "My name is Miss Joo Dee, but you may address me as Miss JD if you prefer."

This class was basically the stating of the rules and an introduction to Music Appreciation for the new students, such as myself, so it went by rather quickly. The bell rang and the four of us were off to lunch in the cafeteria closest to us.

We picked our seats at the table in the middle of the cafeteria; placing our bags on the seats before we stepped in line to get our lunch.

Mako stepped in line behind me and smiled. "What are you getting?" He asked then looked to the menu hanging above the buffet of food.

To be honest, I'm not really all that hungry; which is weird because I'm always hungry. Though I have to be careful because of the food budget at home, and that's why my mom signed me up for the 'Free Lunch' program.

'Oh No! I just remembered that. What if Mako thinks I'm poor when I use the lunch card?' I thought in a panic. But there's no way to hide it.

"Korra?" Mako said, snapping me out of my anxious thoughts. "What are you getting to eat? You're up." He said pointing to the lunch lady.

"Oh, um…" I took a quick look at the menu then looked down at the buffet of fresh fruit, vegetables and drinks. "Uh, I'll have a salad." I decided. "And a water." I added quickly after.

"Alright." The lunch lady placed the salad and bottle of water on the top of the buffet/fridge. "That'll $6.50." She said with a smile.

I nervously looked down then placed my hand into my pocket, pulling out the lunch card. I handed her the card and she simply glanced at it before giving it back to me.

"Alright, you're good." She said before waving Mako over to order.

I sat down at the table across from Asami, who had a bagged lunch. I was worried about what Mako might think because I'm positive he saw me use a lunch card.

"Hey, Korra." Asami greeted with a concerned tone. "What's wrong? You look… Anxious."

'Oh, crap! She's catching on to me!' I thought. 'No, no. Just calm down.' I sighed then looked up to the girl. "I'm just nervous. I mean, I didn't think I'd make friends this quickly. In fact, I thought I'd get bullied before I even met one person." I said sadly.

"Well, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it." She began. "You are gonna get bullied anyway despite the zero tolerance rule." She stated bluntly. "Even I got bullied." She added.

"Really?" I asked. "For what?" Asami didn't seem like the type to get bullied. In fact, she looks like the one TO bully.

"I came here as one of the high-class kids in freshman year." She began, taking a sip of her water. "I hung out with a group of the other high-class kids, Eska, Tahno, Amy, and Rick. They're the most popular kids at this school because their parents own very successful companies. So the only reason they came to me was not because they wanted to be friends with me, but because they knew my father, Hiroshi Sato, was owner and founder of Future Industries."

I took a sip of water then looked at her questionably. "Eska is a Northern Tribe name. Is she from the North?" I asked.

"Yes. Her father, Unalaq, owns Cabbage Corp." She continued; Mako sitting beside me, and Bolin next to Asami. "So we all went around bullying people behind the staffs' back. But that's when I met Mako and Bolin." She gestured to them. "It was just the innocent looks on their faces that forced me to stop Tahno and Rick from punching their stomachs in."

"I remember that." Bolin interrupted then shivered. "I remember that." He reiterated with a grimace.

"So a few days after that," Asami continued, "I ditched Eska and her gang then became best friends with Mako and Bolin. But she hasn't bothered me, so don't worry about her." Asami reassured, but spoke too soon.

"Hey, look everyone!" A girl yelled from behind them, making all the heads in the cafeteria turn to them.

Asami looked up with a scowl eminent on her face, Bolin just looked down trying to avoid the situation, and Mako let out an annoyed sigh. I didn't dare turn around; not wanting to know what was going on, I just looked to Asami for help. She just gave me a look that read: 'I'll handle this.'

"It's the new girl. And she's from the South Pole." She let out an evil chuckle. "The Tribe of the savages." She spat, making me cringe.

"Savage is right." A male voice jumped in. "Where did you get your clothes?" The male directed toward me. "The Thrift Store?" He and a couple others around the lunch room laughed at this.

"Why are your jeans baggy?" Another male voice asked, but I just stayed silent. "They make you look like a dyke." He chuckled, once again making a few others laugh.

A different female voice spoke. "She undoubtedly is. Probably with the Sato heiress." She added, making me angry. But I still didn't dare turn around.

"She's probably from the poor side of town." The first female spoke, who seemed to have a little Inuit accent **(whatever that sounds like)**. "Sticking to your comment, Amy," She began. "She may be a lesbian, but she's probably fucking the Banshay Brother's over here."

**_FUN FACT:_**** Banshay is a Burmese art, influenced by both Chinese and Indian Martial Arts. Banshay embraces the use of sword, spear and staff.|**

"Yeah." the female who is supposedly known as 'Amy' answered. "She's just a whore." She said with disgust.

"Yeah, that's probably why she came here." Male #1 added. "Because she had sex with all the guys in her old school, and hit on all the girls."

"Let me tell you something." The Inuit girl said aloud. "Under aged sex might not have been okay in your savage town of the South Pole, but that's not an excuse to whore around here in Republic City." She said, causing my fists to ball up. "Sex before marriage is immoral." She began, causing my stare at the table to become one of rage. "Nor is under aged marriage, or teenaged birth." She continued maliciously, sounding like a right-winged nut-job. "But I can't change you. I mean you can't change someone who learns from her corrupt parents."

"DON'T YOU DARE BRING MY PARENTS INTO THIS!" I screamed at them, automatically getting into my Tai-Chi fighting stance; looking them over with angry eyes.

That did it. That was the last straw. I'm NOT gonna sit here and let a cluster-fuck of secretly insecure little shits bring my parents into this. I abruptly stood up, pushing my chair noisily aside before turning on my heel to face these kids. They all dressed like this was still a uniform school.

The two guys were wearing white button down oxford shirts with red neck ties; gray slacks held up with a black braided leather belt, and shined, black dress shoes.

Male #1's eyes are blue-green, and his hair was dirty blonde; cut really short -to the point where if it were to be cut any more, it'd leave a bald spot- and styled in an upward spike that matched his sun-tanned skin

Male #2's eyes were icy-blue, and his somewhat purple-colored hair was layered and swooped off to one side, not covering his eyes at all. He has kind of a long face, and a pointy chin that wickedly complemented his devilish smirk.

Amy was wearing a skin tight oxford shirt with two of the top buttons undone, showing her pale skin, and her skirt was a plain navy blue and was too short for her. Her socks were also navy blue that are pulled up to her knees, and her shoes were black and pointy toed. Her hair was brown, but I can tell it was originally black, and her make-up was pink lipstick, not so subtle black eyeliner, and light green eye shadow to 'match' her light green eyes.

The Inuit wore the same thing, except her hair was black. She wore purple eyeliner that spiked up in a point. Her eye shadow matched her dark skin tone; her lip-stick being just a bit of a lighter shade. She had piercing blue eyes that were a bit intimidating.

I assumed this was the group Asami was talking about before. Eska being the Inuit, the other girl being Amy, and Tahno and Rick being one of the two guys.

"Who are you guys?" I asked with irritation and anger.

"I'm Eska." The Inuit girl began in a 'bitchy' tone. "And that's Rick," she pointed to the blonde, "that's Tahno," she pointed to the purple-haired one, "and Amy." She finished, pointing to the brown-haired girl.

"What are you gonna do, little girl?" Asked the female looking guy as he walked up to me and stared me square in the eyes. He kind of looks like he wears eyeliner up close.

"I will kick your ass and punch your teeth down your throat, pretty boy." I hissed, my brow furrowed; eyes narrowed and burning with pure anger and resentment.

"Oh really?" He stated more than asked. "I accept your challenge." He offered with that smirk of his plastered on his face.

After he said this, everyone pushed the two columns of three lunch tables up against the walls which gave us a good amount of space to move around.

We both backed up and got into fighting stances. I got into my Tai-Chi fighting stance, and Tahno got into a sloppy street-fighting position. His knees weren't bent, his back is slouched, and his arms are lower than they should be.

We circled around each other until Tahno got impatient; a rookie move.

"Come on, Southern Savage." He spat at me, making me tighten my fists. "I'll give you the first shot."

Honestly, I don't wanna fight. I don't wanna get in trouble on my first day of my last year of high school. My current plan was to use defense until a teacher came in the lunch room. Apparently, the lunch ladies went on break and the all the teachers' are in the Teachers' Lounge in the next building over.

I changed my stance from Tai-Chi to Ba Gua: An avoid and evade type of style in which my palms are open, my fingers are spread, and my stance wide. Basically, I'm going to avoid his attacks.

"Alright then." Tahno said before he lunged at me with a punch badly aimed for my face.

I easily side-stepped him. And as he stumbled forward, I quickly got behind him and placed my hands on his upper back, putting pressure on it; pushing him forward a bit as to have the upper hand.

He frantically attempted to turn around and punch me, but I kept turning swiftly on my heels, successfully avoiding his poor and futile efforts to swing at me. "Turn around and fight me, bitch!"

Suddenly, I hear a set running footsteps behind me. They suddenly stopped which means, in this situation, I'm going to be kicked or punched. So, without looking, I side-stepped while simultaneously sweeping Tahno's legs before turning him around to face the assailant who was going to attack me, causing Rick to punch Tahno square in the nose.

During Rick's shock, I saw Amy come at me from the right out of the corner of my eye with a fist ready to punch me in the side of the head. I side-stepped so that I was behind her. She then took a cheap jab at me that I narrowly dodged by leaping to the floor and landing on my shoulders -my arms curled; hands flat on the cold masonry- then using the momentum that brought me down to strongly push back; landing perfectly on my feet, startling Amy.

Then Rick grabbed me by the shoulders, picked me up, and threw me into the metal lockers behind me; hitting my head pretty hard. He then tried to punch me, but I dodged. The sound his fist made when it hit hard against the lockers was strangely satisfying. During Rick's screaming about his hand, he and I circled each other.

I decided to let Rick hit me so I could fight back in self-defense, because I was getting sick of not fighting back. So I dropped my fists a bit then stood still. He saw the chance to punch me and he did; in the lower lip. I wiped the blood off my mouth then gave him a sly grin before I dropkicked him.

"KORRA, LOOK OUT!" I hear Mako yell from next to me -behind a lunch table- then literally jumped over it.

The next thing I knew, he was next to me, stopping a broom stick from striking me. He pushed back Eska, my attacker, and swiftly stole the broom stick from her hand. He twirled it between his fingers before hold it up with both hands in a defense mechanism.

"MAKO!" I yelled, but he already knows. Tahno came up behind him and tried punching him, but miserably failing as Mako blocked his hand with the broom stick.

Before I know it, Bolin is fighting Rick with a broken mop stick, and Asami is fighting Amy with a rather impressive self-defense style.

"I switched back to reality when I realized that Eska was about to kick me. So I back flipped before landing on one hand, getting an awe of "OOHHHH!" from the crowd watching this entire mess. I then jumped back up to my feet then faced her in my defensive Tai-Chi position.

"You know, Korra." She began with a wicked grin. "I know why you moved here. Because your parents are losers!" She exclaimed, causing the fighting to stop; everyone literally quiet, save for Eska, as they watched what was about to go down.

My blood boiled, vulgar words and statements stuck in my throat, and my eyes burned with fire hotter than that of the sun. "You don't wanna do this, Eska." I hissed through clenched teeth. "You do NOT wanna screw with me." I added, which she just smirked at.

"No, I don't want to screw with you." She continued. "Because I'm not a whore like your mother." She said, trying to get a rise out of me.

I altered my stance from defensive Tai-Chi to my Bare Knuckle Boxing stance; fists clenched tight and up near my face, arms spread appropriately, feet lined with my shoulders, and heels off the floor. "I said 'You Do NOT Wanna FUCK With Me', Eska!" I exclaimed louder this time. "I know six styles of martial arts that will put you in the hospital if fully unleashed." I continued. "I'm stronger, stealthier, and more agile than you…"

"Wow!" She exclaimed, sarcastically shocked. She walked up to me close. "You're everything your parents aren't."

That was the statement that caused me to sweep her legs, causing her to fall toward me so I could knee her in the face then forcefully kick her into a set of red painted lockers, denting the rather soft, but still pretty solid, metal.

Eska groaned in pain from the bloody -possibly broken- nose, and bruised -possibly internally bleeding- stomach I gave her.

I stood there with my arms crossed, ready for the insults to spill from my lips. "I told you not to fuck with me, you fucking dick licking, cum guzzling, skull-fucking, ass-grease swallowing, prick sucking, amateur ball-sack handling, fist-fucking, dumb shit bag of dirty discharge packed clitty litter!" I yelled, Mako Bolin and Asami behind me.

Then I heard a deep voice that sounded like it belongs to an adult. "Miss Jin, Miss Sato, Yamamoto Brothers'." Called Principal Nathans.

We all reluctantly turned around to face him. "You four have detention." He said in a surprisingly calm voice. "Along with everyone who was involved in the Fight." He added. "That means everyone behind a lunch table is safe." He said as the crowd sighed in relief. "That also means that Eska and her gang have detention, too."

"What!?" Tahno exclaimed.

"They're the ones who started the fight!" Rick tried to argue, but was futile in his attempts.

"Don't you blame this all on us!" Mako shouted at him. "Tahno's the one who threw the first punch!" He pointed directly at Tahno who quickly denied it.

"I did NOT! The Southern Savage is the one who punched me in the face first!" Tahno yelled back, walking up to Mako and confronting him.

"I was there watching it!" He yelled. "She did NOT punch you!"

"Hey! That was an accident!" Rick defended. "That Savage knocked Tahno off his balance then bashed his head on the lunch table!" He lied.

"That's a lie, Rick!" Asami jumped in. "You punched Tahno in the face."

"Even if she didn't, she pushed me into the lockers then dropkicked me!" Rick yelled at Asami.

"That was in self-defense!" Korra shouted at him. "You threw me into the lockers first then punched me in the lip!"

"Then your stupid friend over there attacked me with a mop!" Rick screamed back.

"I was defending myself!" Bolin joined in the argument to defend himself.

"You stay out of this, you insubordinate idiot!" Rick yelled.

"Hey!" Asami screamed. "He's as much a part of this as you are!"

"And what did you do!?" Amy spat. "All you did was keep me busy while your lover over there beats up Eska for no reason!" She said with revulsion.

"You guys were gaining up on her and we needed to help her!" Mako shouted with rage.

"Some help you guys did! She has a bloody lip!" Tahno pointed out.

"THAT'S BECAUSE SHE WAS PUNCHED!" Mako barked insanely, spitting while he did so.

"She attacked me, too!" Tahno yelled back.

"Is anyone gonna help Eska?" A male voice asked from the crowd.

"I can't believe you guys would lie anyway when you already have detention!" Bolin said.

"WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Tahno, Rick, and Amy screamed in unison.

"YES YOU DID!" Korra, Mako, Bolin, and Asami shouted back.

"STOP AT ONCE!" Nathans yelled. "All eight of you have detention tomorrow after school for 45 minutes… Well, Eska has detention once she recovers." He added. "I will be calling your parents." He stated, making the four of us cringe. He walked out the door, the bell ringing seconds after. Everyone pushed the tables back to their rightful places then leaving to go to class because of this; Tahno, Rick, and Amy picking up Eska to bring her to the infirmary.

That leaves the four of us in a saddened mood, alone… Together alone, at least.

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**Bet y'all didn't know there was gonna be some drama and some major cussin'!**

**Well I hope you all enjoyed, and I'm current;y working on Chapter 4 ;)**

**-TheClaudMaster**


	4. Possible Outlet

**Here's chapter 4. I literally JUST finished this so I don't feel like typing anymore. Just read.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Korra, blah blah blah, the usual.**

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Chapter 4  
Korra's POV

"He knows what he said…" Asami mumbled.

I looked to her with confused eyes. "What? I don't understand…" my words trailed off a bit.

"I said 'He knows what he said'!" She raised her voice.

"About calling our homes?" I asked in a soft tone compliant to her raised one.

"No! About calling our parents, Korra!" She snapped. "But I guess you wouldn't know, seeing as how you have both of yours while your life is perfectly fine, when my Mother is gone, and so are Mako and Bolin's are too; life down the shitter for the three of us!" She exclaimed, making me angry.

The fire in my eyes returned and I snap at her. "How DARE you assume I have both my parents!?" I shouted. "How DARE you assume my life is perfect!? Do you know how difficult it was to leave the only place you've ever known!? Do you know how hard it is to live on more than one budget!? Do you know how hard it is to have to worry over a loved one stressing herself over three part-time jobs while you have one yourself!? Do you know how hard it is to juggle between home life, a part-time job, and difficulties with academics and social situations!?" I yelled the last one out her on accident. "And do you know how tough it is to deal with the unjustified murder of your Father!?" My eyes began to water but I continued. "Has your Father been shot by a gang of psychotic right-winged nut-jobs who are much too passionate about the morals of the South!?" A tear rolled down my cheek. "I bet you don't know that he wasn't buried properly! He was cremated and I don't even get the tiniest bit of his ashes because my Mother and I had to escape from the South!" The tears kept on coming. "I didn't even get to say good bye, or any word for that matter! It's like a part of him was ripped from my soul when they shot him!" I finished, letting her stare at me with those sorrowful jade eyes. But they weren't gonna work on me this time.

"Korra…" Asami began. "I'm so sorry, I- I shouldn't have just assumed…"

"Well, you did. And now the damage is done." I said quietly with anger.

"We can talk about this later, guys." Bolin piped up. "We're already late for English Class."

"Yeah- Come on, Mako." I responded then grabbed Mako by the wrist and pulled him out the door; Bolin and Asami lagging slowly behind us.

"Ah, come in." The teacher said, gesturing for us to hurry up. "You four are late."

We picked up our pace then chose seats that were all near each other. Asami and Bolin Sitting behind Mako and I.

I truly wanted to forgive Asami for her assumption about the presence of both my parents. And I wanted to apologize for snapping at her, which was probably my ADD's fault. I become irate at the utmost trivial and substantial of circumstances. It's not fair.

"Alright, we already made groups." The teacher, Mrs. Oolong, directs to us four. "Each group will talk amongst themselves about what book we should read." She pointed to us four. "You guys will be a group. Alright: Begin!" Mrs. Oolong exclaimed the sat down at her desk.

As soon as she said begin, we all turned to each other and blurted out the first book that came to our minds'. "I think we should read The Freedom Writers Diary!" We said simultaneously.

"I've seen the movie and wanted to read the book." Mako said smiling broadly at the three of us.

"Yeah. Me, too." I responded. "I usually don't read, but this is a book I can really relate to. Especially with some of the characters."

"Mako keeps telling me how great the movie is, so I thought that the book would be a nice start." Bolin said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I've seen bits and pieces of the movie and wanted to read the book before I completely finish watching it." Asami jumped in.

"Well, let's tell the teacher." I said as Mako and I abruptly got up and quickly made our way over to the teacher with uncharacteristic enthusiasm.

Bolin POV  
"Pssst… Asami…" I whispered to her.

"Yeah…?" She whispered back, seemingly mocking me.

"Korra looks really happy." I began in a bit of a higher tone. "She was all shy and non-talkative when I met her, now suddenly she's extremely happy." I said skeptically. "What's up with her?"

"Yeah, I've noticed to." She said in a realizing manner. "She's acting kind of like Mako."

"Yeah, it's like she caught his ADD…" I joked then Asami swung her arm hard into my chest with a comprehending look on her features. "Oww." I quietly exclaimed. "What was that for?" I whispered as not to attract attention.

"Maybe Korra has ADD…" She said quietly, making my eyes go wide.

"That would explain her sudden energy." I said as I rubbed my aching chest. "But that doesn't explain why she's so anti-social." I pointed out, making her expression drop.

"I guess you're right…" She sighed. "But put a pin in that ADD idea." She whispered. "It's still a possibility." She finished before Korra and Mako came back.

Korra POV  
"Hey, guys." I greeted as Mako and I sat back down. "Since we were the first group to go to Mrs. Oolong with a book idea," I continued with a big, toothy smile then clasped my hands together for affect, "we're reading The Freedom Writers Diary." I concluded with the same smile on my face, also copied onto Mako's.

"Alright, class." Mrs. Oolong began, capturing everyone's attention. "Korra and Mako came to me with an idea to read a very interesting and remarkable piece of literature that I think is perfect for this class, as well as relatable." She said.

_Wait! Did she just say 'relatable?'_ I thought then twisted my torso in my seat to face the rest of the class, who were listening intently to Mr. Oolong.

Everyone looked… Well… Poor. Some girls were wearing old, beat-up flannel shirts that were too big for them, baggy sweats or jeans, and dirty sneakers; other girls wearing large t-shirts half tucked in to hole-ridden pants -bought at the Salvation- where the fabric at the ankles is ruined and tucked into hand-me-down sneakers. All their hair was the same: Brushed to the best of their ability, and somewhat greasy looking because shampoo is a rare resource. Accessories stuck into some of the girls' hair to keep attention away from the greasiness; _'like I do with my hair'_ I thought as I run fingers through my bangs.

The guys' wear large t-shirts, the cleanest pair of sweats or jeans they could find -yet holes are noticeable in them-, and the nicest pair of basketball sneakers they have -but still beat-up and dirty-. Their hair is gelled and combed in attempt to make it look less greasy, which worked a little.

Practically everyone's faces are dirty. I touch my face and wipe off some grime; suddenly feeling self-conscious, I turn to Asami, whose skin is flawless. I turn to Bolin, whose complexion is clean. I turn to Mako, whose appearance looks like one of a worker. His hands are calloused; a couple scratches lay at his hair and jaw line. He stares at Mrs. Oolong, listening intently, his expression looking interested. He has a mentality similar to mine: the mind of a twelve year old.

"So that is your homework." Mrs. Oolong said, the word 'homework' snapping me out of my thoughts. "We have five minutes left, so pack up and talk amongst yourselves I suppose." She concluded then sat down at her desk.

I turned to Mako. "What did she say we have for homework?" I asked him, confused.

He put his folder in his bag then turned to me. "Oh, she said we have…" He opened his agenda, humming as he stared at it. "Ah! We have to get The Freedom Writers' Diary for class by Friday, and we also have to type up a one page essay of our home-life." He said then looked up to me.

_'Shit! I don't have a computer!'_ I thought. "Oh…" I said, successfully hiding my unhappy tone and expression. "Well, did she say it can be handwritten?" I asked, desperately hoping he says 'yes.'

"She didn't say." He responded. "But you can ask her." He suggested, causing my social anxiety to come into play.

"Can, uh- could you come with me?" I asked apprehensively.

"Of course." He said quickly, like he understood my reluctance to go alone. "Come on." He stood up then walked over to Mrs. Oolong's desk, me following suit.

We approached her desk, and I stood behind Mako so Mrs. Oolong doesn't know that I'm the one who wants -who needs- to handwrite the essay. But there's another thing I want to ask her that's just come to mind. But I'll ask when Mako's finished asking my first question; a personal home-life question.

She tore her eyes from the computer then looked to Mako. "Yes? What do you two need?" She asked.

When Mako saw I wasn't going to answer anytime soon, he spoke for me. Surprisingly enough, he didn't include the phrase 'Korra would like to know', which was a relief. Instead, he replaced it with the expression 'I was wondering.'

"I was wondering," he began, "if the essay could possibly be handwritten." He stated.

"Mako, you have a computer." She began. "And you always type your papers."

"I know." He retorted. "I was just thinking of working on my penmanship." He lied. Very well, might I add.

"Well… Just this once, alright?" She said. "I'll bend the rules just for you." She winked at him.

"Thank you very much." He thanked as she turned back to me. "I got you this one time. Next time you can borrow my old laptop, alright?" I nodded and smiled at him. He returned the smile then sat back down at his seat.

I looked at the clock. I had two minutes left. I approached her desk and she once again tore her eyes away from the computer. "Can I help you, Korra?" She asked, turning in her swivel chair to face me.

"Yes." I said quietly then leaned in closer so she can hear me. "I assume you've read my record."

She nodded her head then seemed to listen more intently, her curiosity peaking. "Yes, what about it?"

"You know I have ADD and social anxiety, right?" I asked quietly.

"Oh, yes of course." She then realized, catching on to my whispered questions. "What about it, dear?"

"Well… I just wanted to let you know that although English is my strong point, it's very difficult to get things done because I have a lot going on at home." I began. "So if I start to fall off due to my 'handicaps'," I continued using air quotes, "I need someone to motivate me to get back on top of things. Whether I'm distracted or daydreaming in class, I need to have you nudge me or call my name and ask me a question I can answer…" I finished.

"I've read great things about you in your record, so let me assure you that I will help you in any way I can possible." She said with a soft look in her brown eyes.

"Also," I continued, "If I'm having problems with home-life, I need a bit of a break so I can help out my mother." I stated, but it was a question in my mind.

Mrs. Oolong nodded her head. "Of course, dear." She said then the bell rang.

"Thank you." I said to her, getting a nod and smile of genuine understanding in response. I returned the smile before I grabbed my bag, walked out the door then up the stairs to the third floor to last period: Social Studies.

Since my locker was literally next to room 31, where social studies is taught in, I put my books -which may or may not have been half paid for when I got them- in the decent sized, metal cupboard then grabbed my social studies book from it before entering room 31: Social Studies.

I saw an empty seat next to Mako, who I assume saved it for me since his bag was in the seat protecting it.

I approached the desk next to him and he placed his bag next to his desk so I can sit down. "Thanks for saving me a seat." I said, acknowledging his kindness. "You're so sweet." _'Whoa! Where did THAT come from!?'_ I thought as I felt the heat rise to my cheeks.

"No problem." He said with a slight chuckle as he turned his head to the side, trying to hide a blush rise to his cheeks, which I pretended I didn't see.

"Hey! Where's Mr. Garry!?" A female student pointed out, causing everyone to agree with her question.

"Mr. Garry was fired!" Came a boisterous and animated voice that just walked through the door of room 32 from next door into room 31.

The voice belonged to a man in his early thirties. He wore a flashy dark blue blazer with white fur trim on the collar and wrists -a puffy, light blue tie tucked into his blue vest- a matching pair of pleated, dark blue pants that are tucked into white, calve-high boots with black toes and heels. His hair was dark brown, slicked back casually as opposed to formally, and wavy in some places. He has a thick, dark brown pencil mustache that suits his flashy nature.

But the part that caught my attention was his dark, Water Tribe skin-tone. His style didn't strike me as Northern or Southern, but more modern 'Republic City style'.

"My name is Varrick Amaguq- PLEASE call me Varrick! Not Mr. Amaguq, not Mr. A! Not Mr. Varrick, or Mr. V! Just Varrick!" He exclaimed. "Do I make myself clear!?" He directed toward the entire class of about 22 students.

"Yes Varrick." We all said in unison.

"GREAT!" He yelled in joy. "Does anyone have any questions!?"

"Whose that lady standing next to you?" A male asked in confusion.

"This is Zhu Li." He gestured toward a young woman wearing a blue business suit with a skirt, black high-heels, and circular, gold-rimmed glasses; a look of pure indifference plastered on her face. "She's my assistant."

"You bring your assistant with you to your job?" The same male student asked with more confusion written on his features.

"Why not!?" Varrick exclaimed then stood up straight, putting on a serious expression. "Zhu Li, fetch me some tea!" He commanded.

"Yes, Sir." Zhu Li responded as she bowed her head then walked into room 32, coming out a minute later with a fancy mug of what smelled like green tea with ginseng, lemon and honey.

Varrick took a sip of it then let out a content sigh. "Ah! Delicious! Now let's get on with the name learning and such!" He walked over to a projector at the back of the room that was facing toward the smart board fixed onto the whiteboard, and stared at it. "Zhu Li!" He called. "Do the thing!" He twirled his finger as he pointed at the projector, not knowing how to work it.

His assistant came over in an instant then simply pressed the power button and focused the lens.

"Alright!" Varrick began as he gestured toward the smart board, which had a series of bullet points typed from a computer on it. "You will tell me your first and last name, your favorite activity, why you like to DO that activity, your favorite TV show, favorite subject, LEAST favorite subject, your nationality, and one interesting fact about yourself!" He yelled with passion. "And YES! I KNOW I didn't list them in an order that makes much sense, so just answer the questions." He said to make himself clear. "And DON'T answer the question with another question!" He quickly added then pointed to Asami. "YOU! Go first!"

Asami looked up from her desk then looked at him quizzically. "Me?" She pointed to her chest with her thumb.

Varrick let out an annoyed sigh. "I thought I said not to answer a question with another question!" He said as he walked closer to her.

"You didn't ask me a question, you stated a command." She countered.

"Either way I pointed to you!" He argued back, getting closer.

"I wasn't looking at you. Though if I was, I still wouldn't understand since you speak in run-on sentences." She disputed back cunningly.

"OOOHHHH!" Yelled the class.

"Look me in the eye…" He said as he placed his forehead to hers, their noses touching. His stare was unflinching. Asami was startled at first, but narrowed her stare at him, making him smile and laugh. "I like you!" He stated. "I wanna know more about you! So tell me!" He said gesturing to the questions on the smart board.

Asami cleared her throat then began. "My name is Asami Sato, I like to race cars because my father lets me test new models for Future Industries' vehicle line, my favorite show is Counting Cars, my favorite subject is after school motor shop, my least favorite subject is Biology, my nationality is Western Earth Kingdom, and one interesting fact about myself is I'm a vehicle enthusiast." She finished.

"YOU!" He pointed to Bolin. "Go!"

"Um… My name is Bolin Yamamoto, my favorite activity is playing video games because they're fun. Uh… My favorite TV show is The Walking Dead, my favorite subject is Spanish, my least favorite subject is Biology, my nationality is Western Earth Kingdom, and one interesting fact about myself is I'm in expert in fighting Banshay, which is a Burmese art -influenced by Chinese and Indian Martial Arts- that embraces the use of a sword, spear and/or staff."

"YOU! Spikey hair!" He pointed to Mako. "Your turn!"

"My name is Mako Yamamoto, my favorite activity is fighting Banshay because my father taught it to me, my favorite TV show is American Horror Story; Coven especially. My favorite subject is English, my least favorite subject is math, my nationality is Eastern Fire Nation, and one interesting fact about myself is…" He looked down and thought for a moment. "I like to draw." He finished then looked back up, a different look on his face. One that seemed as if he was fighting back pain.

"You Next!" He pointed to me.

"My name is Korra Jin…" I began nervously, playing with my fingers and shaking my right leg. "My favorite activities are writing and Tai-Chi…" I continued, listing two since I couldn't pick between them. "I like to write because it's an outlet for me, and I like to practice Tai-Chi because… I like to practice Tai-Chi because… My father taught it to me…" I said holding back tears. "I don't have a favorite TV show because I don't watch television." I half told the truth. I really don't have a favorite show, but that's because I don't own a TV. "My favorite subject is English, my least favorite is math… My nationality is Southern Water Tribe." I said, causing Varrick to smile contently at me as he crossed his arms. "… And one interesting fact about me is that I'm an expert in six styles of martial arts…" I finished, hoping he wouldn't want me to explain what types of the arts I'm skilled in.

"WOW!" He exclaimed. "What are you skilled in!?"

_'Fuck me!'_ I thought as I began to explain. "Tai-Chi with an incorporation of bare knuckle boxing, Hung Gar, Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis, Northern Shaolin, Ba Gua, and bare knuckle boxing." I finished.

"That is truly amazing, Korra." He said in a surprisingly normal tone.

Twenty minutes passed. The bell rung and it was time to leave. I was about to walk out the door to go to my locker when I was called aside by Varrick.

"Korra, can I speak with you please?" He asked in that calm tone that seems so uncharacteristic of him.

I sighed out of nervousness then walked over to the desk where he was sitting. "Yes, Varrick?" I asked as he looked me in the eye, seeing my apprehension and anxiety. "I read your record during class when I assigned you all to read chapter one." He began, voice keeping it's calm nature. He stood from his swivel chair then closed and locked the door leading to the hall, and the door leading to room 32 before he sat back down, Zhu Li waiting by his side. "I understand that you have Attention Deficit Disorder and social anxiety." He continued, crossing his legs. "That explains why you were so nervous and reluctant to tell the whole class about yourself. I also saw the pain and sadness in your eyes when you were talking about your father."

"What is this about…?" I asked, once again fighting back tears.

"I also read that you were bullied at your old high school in the Southern Tribe for decisions your parents made that are considered immoral and unjust in the South Pole…" He paused and sighed. "Zhu Li, could you please pull up a chair?" He asked softly as she pulled up a big chair, with a soft looking cushion on it then placed it next to Varrick. "Thank you. That'll be all."

"Yes, Sir." Zhu Li bowed then walked out the door leading to the hall, locking it behind her.

"Come on." He said, patting the cushion on the chair. "Pop a squat. I promise it won't be long. I told Zhu Li a few minutes ago to tell the bus driver to wait for you… By bribing him- But that's beside the point…" He sighed. "Look," he began as I sat down. "I lived in the South Pole for 23 years before moving here to Republic City. That means I lived by their unjust and unmerited rules and laws. I know that they're awful, and South is probably better off if it's changed from a monarchy to a democracy or republic… But I know how you feel."

"How do you know how I feel…?" I asked him, suddenly curious of his story.

"When I was sixteen, I fell in love with a girl my age named Kaede." He began, voice sounding sad. "We decided to have intercourse a year after we started dating. About two and a half weeks later I asked her to marry me in secret so the authorities wouldn't find out. But when we both discovered she was pregnant, we knew it was going to be difficult to hide it once the months move on. Once it became noticeable, she and I were forced to see a doctor to conclude whether or not a human being was growing within her. When it was verified that she was 3 months pregnant, she was dragged by the authorities, or as we rebellious Southerners like to call 'the passionate ones', to the 'abortion' clinic where they beat her and the child within her to death as the passionate ones forced me to watch." He paused and blinked back tears. "A couple weeks later, I was put on a 'fair' trial that established my punishment be exile. I was banished from the South and became a refugee for two years before settling in Republic City." He switched his sitting position, crossing his right leg over his left; ankle upon his knee. "I worked many different jobs for a year before I turned 19, and decided I would go to college and get my Masters in teaching history. Three years flew by as I barely passed all my classes. One of my teachers suggested I take an extra year of his class so I can truly earn my masters' degree along with a recommendation letter and a perfect _résumé so that any high school will hire me based on my past experiences."_

I counted on my fingers. "That would make you only 23." I pointed out. "You look about 30."

"Well, I ran into trouble after I finished college trying to pay rent that was much too overpriced for the run-down and filthy apartment I was living in, and paying off student loans while keeping 3 part-time jobs -selling fruit on a street stand, being a cashier at a convenience store, and shining shoes-. So when a very notable man came to me wanting his shoes shined, he claimed he saw the hard work in my features and in my speaking manner. He said he saw potential in me, so he gave me 10,000 dollars and said 'Use it wisely and use it cleverly.' So I paid off my student loans and bills then invested the rest of the money into the stock market on the man who gave me the money, soon making me rich, but not a snob. I donate money to charities and such." He paused. "That's not the point. I still wanted to teach, so after a few years in the stock market game, I came here when I turned 29, asking for a job on the last day of school. They said they have no openings, and luckily that's when Mr. Garry, the former Social Studies teacher, barged into the office drunk off his ass on hard Fire Nation liquor. They happily gave me his job, and… Here I am." He finished. "One year later, teaching."

"That is the saddest story I've ever heard." I said. "But what does this have to do with me?" I asked.

"I just want you to know that I've gone through something similar, and I'm here if you wish to speak with me." He answered calmly.

A tear escaped my eye and rolled down my cheek.

"No, no." Varrick said. "No, don't cry."

I let out a chocked sob as more tears found their way out of my eyes and onto the floor.

"Come here." He held out his arms for a hug, and I happily obliged as I launched myself forward into his arms and cried hysterically into his soft blazer.

I wrapped my arms around him and hugged tightly as he copied my motions. "I miss him so much!" I cried loudly, sniffling. "They shot him for no reason! We doing fine until the passionate ones' figured it out! I just wanna see his face one more time!"

"Shhh, I know. But it's going to be fine." He said then pulled out of the hug to look at me before he grabbed a tissue and wiped my tears away. "Here." He handed me a pair of dark tinted sunglasses, which I assume he's giving me so no one knows I was crying.

"Thanks…" I said I placed them on my head so I can still see him clearly without the black of the glasses distorting the color of my vision of him. "I appreciate that you're willing to help me." I smiled.

He smiled back at me. "I don't wanna see you go through the same grieving and moping like I did… Now get going. The bus driver can only wait so long." He joked, making me chuckle.

I pulled the sunglasses over my eyes and walked to the door, taking one look at him before leaving.

_'Maybe he's my outlet'_ I thought as I gathered the things I need for homework from my locker then walking down the stairs, out the door, then to the bus that was waiting there for me.

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**Hope the new chapter was great. Fave follow and review if you liked it. do it if you didn't like.**

**I really have to pee, so...**

**-TheClaudMaster**


	5. DT? I Forgot

Chapter 5

Korra's POV

I stepped onto the bus and walked toward the back once I saw Mako and Bolin; carrying my bag in a ghetto fashion with one strap slung over my broad right shoulder since the other strap was ripped and torn. I saw Mako who was smiling and scooting over so she could sit next to him. I slid into the cold bus bench, sitting next to him, Bolin in the seat next to us.

The bus began to roll away once I was seated, cars instantly stopping to let the bus through.

"Hey, where'd you get those sweet ass sunglasses?" Bolin asked me, leaning in closer so he can get a better look.

I pulled away from him slightly so he couldn't see my eyes completely through the black tint and figure out I was crying. I adjusted the sunglasses between my thumb and forefinger. "Uh… Varrick lent them to me." I stated tersely, successfully concealing my reluctance to reply to his curiosity by hiding the truth in my eyes behind the shaded, transparent black disks.

"Why would Varrick, the new social studies teacher might I add, just give you expensive looking sunglasses?" Bolin asked with great confusion laced in his unique tone.0

"He- He uh… Um… I- He told me he was excited to meet a student from the South Pole, where he once lived…" I lied, which Bolin seemed to buy, but I felt Mako's amber eyes burning holes in the back of my skull.

"Well, anyways." Bolin began, changing the subject much to my thankful pleasure. "I was wondering if you could stop by our house for some Cookies and Dr. Pepper 'er somethin'." He suggested with a wide grin on his face that was so enticing it almost made me except his offer. Almost.

I do have priorities to stick to, and the first thing on the list of those priorities is the part-time job I mustn't lose. It's around 3:15 and I need to be at the café I forgot the name of -but recognize the appearance- by 4:00.

"I'm sorry, Bolin." I apologized sincerely. "I can't come now." Saying these statements made Bolin's expression drop which made me feel really bad. But I don't want to lose him as a friend over this. But why would he do something as drastic as ending a growing relationship over some trivial rejection? AUGH! Stupid anxiety! All I know is that I need to calm down my nerves and keep Bolin happy. "But…" I started, causing Bolin to look up at me, hope glimmering in his bright, green eyes. "I don't have anything planned for tomorrow at…" 'Let's see, when do mom and I have to go over budgets…?' I thought to myself. "I can come by tomorrow at 4:30." I suggested after thinking through my mom's schedule for budget clean-ups and revisions. "How does that sound?"

He smiled at me brightly then looked over to Mako. "How does that sound, Mako?" Bolin practically shrieked at his brother.

"It's perfect, Bo." Mako agreed with a smile. "So how'd you like your first day of school, Korra?" He asked innocuously, receiving a low sigh from me. He frowned at this. "Oh… I forgot about the fight and the de- ten-tion…" Mako said slowly in realization as his eyes widened. "Holy shit! We forgot to go to detention!" He exclaimed, also causing Bolin and I to become scared.

"Oh, man!" Bolin hung his head in his hands, running his fingers through his short, slicked locks. "Uncle Toza's gonna kill us!"

"Well, we'll just have to take the punishment…" Mako sighed as the bus pulled up to his and Bolin's stop. "Let's just hope that the principal hasn't called him yet."

"Yeah…" Bolin agreed with his brother, the minor panic in his eyes slightly dissipating. "Well, see you tomorrow, Korra." Bolin and Mako waved good bye as they stepped of the bus and onto the sidewalk.

I stared at them walking until the slight jolt forward of the bus, indicating that it's moving forward, shook me out of my stare.

Once the bus pulled up to my stop, I walked up to the front and asked the bus driver what the time was. He lifted up his left arm and took a quick glance at his silver wristwatch. "It's 3:27." He said before I gave him a quick 'thank you' before exiting the vehicle.

I dashed down Dragon Flats Ave, trying to make it to the café before 3:45 at the least. I clutched the ripped strap of my threadbare back-pack while fluently dodging pedestrians who shouted obscenities at me, trashcans and recycling bins that people have carelessly left in the center of the sidewalk, and bizarre debris such as a plastic dear missing a leg, a bed mattress with a yellow stain on it, and what I hoped was a pile of wet grass mixed with dirt and not vomit.

I soon made it to the café by 3:40, roughly 3:45, and reported to the manager's office. I knocked on the door and heard a "Come In!"

I walked into the small office **(I truly don't feel like describing it, so just envision the office however you'd like. M'Kay?)** and saw a short man about my height gestured me toward his desk and sit down. The nametag on his desk said 'Jerry Jones.'

"Alright, Korra." Jerry began in an authoritative tone as he leaned forward, making himself comfortable by placing his elbows on the desk while his hands were folded and positioned restfully under his grey-whiskered chin. "You will start off with taking people's orders, alright? There's an apron for you in the kitchen with all the supplies in the pockets; if not then ask Jane, she'll be your leader until you get a handle on things." He shot straight off with telling me what my job was, which made me kind of nervous. I know I took the job to be the new waitress, but I think it'd be too much for my anxiety. "So here's your name tag." Jerry continued, handing me a laminated, clip on tag that said 'Korra Jin' in decently sized script. "Any questions?"

"Yeah um…" I began, feeling nervous as I shook my leg and played with my fingers. "I'm a little nervous." That was a lie. I'm majorly nervous. "Do you have any pointers for a rookie?" I asked, giving him a nervous, toothy smile as my brows furrowed, showing my fear.

"Well you can't worry about how people treat you, you just gotta be as nice as you can so you can get the biggest tip they'll give ya'." He told me, not really helping my self-confidence boost. "Just ask Jane, she'll help ya'; real good at motivating people."

"Thanks, Mr. Jones." I said before getting up and walking to the door. I grabbed the handle before he called out to me.

"Hey!" I turned around to see him smiling. "We're all one big family here. Don't worry, we got your back, kid." He stated genuinely, causing my anxiety to melt just a bit.

"Thank you, Mr. Jones." I said once again.

"And call me Jerry." He added before I walked out to begin my shift.

After work, I lugged my broken bag home and walked through the door of the apartment building, climbing the stairs since I didn't trust that old-ass elevator to do it for me.

I stuck the key to the apartment into the lock and twisted it, hearing the satisfying sound metal knocking against metal that seemed to distract me because I found myself locking and unlocking the door just to hear the sound it made **(true story)**.

Once I finally decided to walk into the apartment, I found my mom sitting at the kitchen table, paying bills. She was going through piles and piles of envelopes and letters, sorting all the pieces of paper within paper into piles of junk-mail and bills. Thankfully there was more junk-mail.

"Korra, would you sit down please?" My mother said gently, though I winced because I know she's going to lecture me about how 'fighting in school is bad, especially breaking a girl's nose.'

I took the seat next to her as it creaked when I sat down. I was thinking over what to say, but couldn't think of a single word that I could say without it sounding sarcastic and bitchy as I spoke. So I just stayed silent and waited for her to speak; leaning forward and crossing my arms on the feeble wood of the kitchen table, waiting for the talk to begin so I can wait dreadfully for it to end.

"I got a call from Principal Nathans today, and he told me that a girl named Eska told him that she was trying to be your friend then you beat her up for it." She began with a frown.

_'That lying fucking BITCH!'_ I thought to myself as a rebuttal automatically drove its way through my sealed lips. "SHE LIED! SHE WAS MAKING FUN OF ME!" I screamed in defense, slamming my fists down on the table, causing our neighbor to bang on the wall and yell "SHUT THE HELL UP! COPS IS ON!"

"Korra, honey, please calm down." She kept her gentle tone with me, knowing I would blow up even more if she reiterated my current behavior. She knows this because I punched a hole through the drywall at our (former) home in the South, breaking my middle finger; though it was funny walking around town with a cast on my right hand, unintentionally flipping everyone the bird. But that's not the point.

"Korra, just tell me why you did it and I'll leave you alone." She compromised, desperate to try anything now that my uncontrollable temper was… Well… Out of control.

"Mom, you aren't seriously considering this situation right now, are you!?  
I asked her with a baffled expression, my tone rising an octave or two. "Do you NOT believe me that I fought IN SELF DEFENSE!?" I yelled the last part, causing her to wince at my rage.

"Honey, that's the reason I'm talking to you." She declared, causing my face of rage to form into one of a puzzled child.

"Huh?" I simply stated, now curious of where my mother was getting at.

"I know you fought in self-defense because your father taught you to fight fair; to fight with dignity and respect to others when battling, no matter how injured they deserve to be…" She smiled at me as I cracked a slight grin myself, looking down at the floor so I can let it grow without her seeing it. But she walked over to me and lifted my chin up, forcing me to let my smile shine in her eyes. "Although you're fighting them with respect, you show that you have real strength and self-control… Ring a bell?"

"Yeah… Dad told me that when he first started teaching me Tai-Chi." I said, fondly remembering the memories we had together as a true family before we were separated and forced to leave.

"Now help me revise the budgets, I just got a raise." She changed the subject to money and sat back down in her spot at the table, piles of envelopes nearly toppling over.

I sat down next to her and began going through the papers with her. "And I now get a paycheck, which I collect on the first Saturday of every month." I mentioned, quite proud of myself, as I received a smile from my mother to let me know that she's proud of me, too.

Now all we need is dad to fill in the empty chair that represents our broken hearts; our broken souls. Though our minds deceive us of his presence, he truly is there… We just can't see it yet.


	6. The Phone Call

**Sorry this chapter is a little short. It's just that I REALLY have to study for mid-term exams, so I won't be updating as often this week (as if I had been updating daily *I say sarcastically*).**

**Anywho, I hope you all enjoy the chapter which was an idea from one of the readers who I don't wanna name just in case they... Just don't :|  
But, if you want credit for the idea of this chapter [and most of the dialogue (which has been slightly changed, but is still 'trademarked')] just let me know and I'll give you a shout-out in the next chapter ;)**

**Favorite, Follow, and Review. Alright... Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra or any of the real life products or businesses that may be mentioned in this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 6

It was about 6:30 when mom and I finished revising our budgets to fit our pay-checks. We were just finishing up a calm conversation about what happened earlier today.

"So do you promise me to not get detention for fighting and cursing like a sailor again?" Mom asked, almost sounding sarcastic. But that was just to lighten the mood. She was more serious than a war.

I let a giggle pass my lips as I placed the bills in a red milk crate on the kitchen table. "I promise, mom." I guaranteed with a reassuring tone.

!RING RING RING RING RING RING RING RING RING!

"I'll get it." I offered as I stood from the frail, delicate chair and making my way to the dirty white wall phone that was fixed next to the old stove. "What?" I greeted with unintentional rudeness before realizing I did, but quickly 'fixed' it. "I mean- Hello?" **(True story).**

"Uh…" A deep, male voice trailed off. "Is- Is this Korra…?" The voice asked rather overexcited to be talking to someone.

I was skeptical, so I decided to ask him questions before I tell him my name. "… Who's speaking?" I asked; not gonna trust someone unless I know who they are first. **(A|N: Being maimed is not fun).**

"Uhhhh…" The voice said as if he was contemplating on whether or not he can trust me enough to speak his name. He's just as paranoid as I am… "This is… Mako…" He confessed then paused, waiting for a reply, as I suddenly lit up with joy.

"Oh! Hey, Mako!" I greeted enthusiastically then heard him let out a low chuckle. "What's up?" I asked, leaning against the wall behind me to get comfortable.

*PHONE CONVO BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT, MOTHER FUCKERS B|*

Key: Korra - **Mako**

**I was just wondering if Principal Nathans called your parents yet… About skipping DT?** *Mako asks in a somewhat tense manner.

Yeah, he did! Not only that, but my mom told me Eska told Principal Nathans that she was 'just trying to be my friend, but she and her friends beat us up for no good reason.' That's a load of horse-cow shit!**  
***I exclaim, feeling like I can be my abrasive self around him.

**WHAT!? That's not fair! That was in self-defense!**  
*He shouts, making me pull the phone away from my ear a bit.

Completely! They attacked us first! Ergo, we have the right to fight back!  
*I agree, my mother's law terminology absentmindedly coming into play.

**Principal Nathans can't hear one side of the story then accuse us!**  
*He lets out an angry groan.

We are entitled to due process under the law!  
*I say, once again, law creeping its way into my vocabulary.

**Yes! Exactly what you said; Yes! You can't just tell someone's parents and/or guardians that you just beat up a kid for no reason! He's acting partial! It's completely unjust.**  
*He says, saying out loud what I was thinking myself.

That's why I just got away with a warning, because my mom knows I wouldn't just randomly beat someone up!  
*I respond, glad I wasn't grounded.

**Bolin and I got a lecture from our Uncle Toza and we have clean the entire premises of the house! We're half way through and Uncle let us have a break, and I'm getting really wiped out from all the work, so I just thought I'd call you to make a schedule for when we visit each other to work on the project which I remembered because I wrote it down, otherwise I would've forgotten and not have even mentioned it and also for the driving arrangement for when you come over tomorrow, and- OOHHH! American Horror Story is on! … What was I talking about…?**  
*He says in one, big run-on sentence. But I somehow catch the gist of it, knowing much too well that I myself inattentively become distracted during a conversation.

Ummm… We can meet up on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays for the project, which we still need to figure out what to do; maybe something easy regarding easy to find materials, but not something cliché like coke and mentos or something- I don't know, we'll figure it out when I get to your place. Uhhhh… Your house really isn't walking distance and neither of us own a car… Maybe Asami could pick us up 'er something… And you were talking about the punishment your Uncle gave you.  
*I say, trying to get Mako back on track.

**Oh, right... It just makes me so angry that someone can be this OBLIVIOUS! … I- I'm sorry… I usually don't get this carried away…I just feel… Myself, around you…**  
*He says, not knowing that I don't mind because I deal with the same type of shit everyday.

It's alright, Mako. It's nice to talk with someone who understands… But I'm sure we'll get the chance to explain what happened tomorrow.  
*I suggest, attempting to calm him down without giving off the wrong vibe that says 'you're getting too angry.'

**I hope you're right…**  
*He says with a sigh

And… I feel myself around you, too… It's like we're connected… N- never-mind- sorry. You probably don't wanna be bothered with my concept of humankind…  
*I say, brushing off the topic before he gets bored.

**Hey… You're not bothering me one bit, Korra. I'm, in fact, interested in unusual spiritual beliefs like Witches and Wiccans and stuff… Alright, Uncle! I'll be right there! … Sorry, Korra. I gotta go, but… See ya tomorrow on the bus…?**  
*He says, capturing my interest.

Yeah, totally. See ya tomorrow…  
*I say before he hangs up; hanging up the phone as well, I leaned against the wall to breathe for a second.

*END OF PHONE CONVO*

_'I feel like I can tell him anything about me and he'll relate to it…' _I thought as I smiled to myself, walking back to my room to start my homework.

* * *

**I have to go to sleep now...**

**-TheClaudMaster**

**P.S: I like cookies :3**


	7. Just Go For It

**Hey, School got cancelled for tomorrow. That means extra studying time for my Biology exam :D**

**Also, it means I wrote and revised a couple of hours ago, so here's the next chapter ;)**

**Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Korra; the usual, dammit. Y'all know the drill.**

* * *

Chapter 7

Today, I woke up to the morning sun shining through the cloudy window in my room above my 'bed'. I groaned and sat up lazily, causing my math and literature books to tumble onto the floor with a clatter that was louder than I'd have liked it to be.

Swinging my legs over the side of the bed mattress, I then massaged my temples and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I looked at the analogue clock that hung on the dirty white wall next to me. I counted the numbers by fives and established it was five in the morning.

"Why would I wake up this early?" I groaned to myself, finding sleep still laced in my voice. "Oh well." I concluded then decided I'd get up since it's scientifically impossible for me to fall back asleep once I'm already up.

I staggered my way to the bathroom, my limbs feeling somewhat aching, and looked into the mirror. I pulled my eyelids up and down, examining the bags around my eyes. It looks like I've been punched and now I have two black eyes.

I tugged out my wolf-tails and pulled off my clothes, which I seem to have slept in, then threw them in the corner of the bathroom. I turned on the shower and stepped in; not even checking for warmth since I knew the water would be cold.

I grabbed one of the many complimentary shampoos that my mother and I took from the motel we were staying at for a couple of days a day or so after we were run out of town by the passionate ones; before we crashed at Lin and Tenzin's house.

After the shampoo, I used the conditioner, which we also stole, to make my hair softer so it'll be easier to brush out the many knots in my hair; the body wash was also lifted, but -although it does a good job in washing your body- it has no scent. So mom and I just use those tiny bottles of perfume that Anne, the lady who works the front desk downstairs, gets for free in the mail.

I turned off the shower then grabbed the towel -that was once again, stolen- that was sitting on the toilet to dry myself off. I dried my hair then wrapped the towel around my chest before I began to brush my hair. Though the conditioner made it easier to take the knots out, it was still quite a task to do it. Every time I dragged the brush through my hair, I'd let out an unnecessary 'ow' whenever I would come across a knot.

We don't own a blow-dryer, so once I was done brushing my hair I used a large desk fan on the 'high' setting as an alternative. It works just as well as a cheap hair-dryer, surprisingly.

I then began to brush my teeth with a toothbrush that was that was 2 bucks from Walgreens and mint toothpaste that was also from Walgreens for $3.50. The toothpaste was almost out, but there was still a significant amount left. So mom and I used the ghetto substitute and cut off the end of the tube for better access.

After I was done brushing my teeth, I put my wolf tails back in then walked back to my room to get dressed.

I removed my towel and tossed it onto the floor then began to get dressed. I chose to wear a black tank-top under a baggy, blue flannel shirt that was buttoned up half-way from the bottom, a pair of dark blue, baggy cargo pants that I got from the men's section at the salvation army, a pair of dark blue wristbands that I haven't worn in a while, an armband with a tribal design on my right bicep, and my mom's old, brown riding boots.

I looked at myself in the mirror fixed onto the wall in front of me. I pulled out the wolf-tail on top my head then dug through my dresser and found a black knit beanie. I put it on then glanced at the clock. It's 5:15. "Mom gets up around this time." I said to myself as I made my way to her room, which was down the hall from mine. "I should wake her up."

I cautiously opened the door then stepped into the darkness of the room. I walked to the side of her large bed mattress that also sat on the floor and shook her slightly by the shoulder. "Mom…" I whispered, getting a tired groan from her. "Wake up… C'mon, mom… You get up in like 5 minutes anyway." I whispered once more, but she wouldn't budge.

I took a step back then thought to myself. "Alright, mom," I began, "I'm gonna make some coffee on the stove since we don't have a coffee maker." I smirked at her reaction.

She shot up out of bed. "No, no honey!" She said with nervous reassurance. "I'll make the coffee."

About 10 minutes later mom and I were both ready for the day, and it was only 5:27. We both didn't have to be out the door until 7:00, so we just sat on the couch in the living room holding our mugs of coffee and talked.

"So," mom began after she took a sip from her mug, "how was your first day of school?" She asked. "Besides getting in a fight!" She added quickly, making me giggle.

"Well, I almost got hit by a Mustang Cobra driven by Asami Sato." I stated.

"What!? Are you alright!?" She asked in concern.

"I'm fine." I said, calming her nerves. "It turns out she's a really nice person. OH!" I exclaimed. "On the bus, this Earth Kingdom boy, Bolin, basically approached me and asked me to be his friend." I began then took a sip of my coffee before continuing. "His brother, Mako, is Fire Nation and wasn't as enthusiastic as his brother. But his disposition on the bus abruptly changed after we received our schedules in the gymnasium. We have all our classes together. He seems like a really nice guy and I want to get to know him better." I blabbered, getting a curious look from my mom, which I ignored and continued to talk. "In fact, I'm going over his house today to work on a science project with him for Biology class." I finished then looked to my mother.

"Oh, really?" She stated more than asked. "Tell me more about this 'Mako' boy." She gave me a discreet smirk that she hid behind her mug as she took a sip of her coffee.

"He reminds me so much of myself." I began. "He knows a martial art called 'Banshay' which is essentially fighting using a knife, bo, stick, etc. Any who," I continued before I could get off topic, "Mako looks nothing like his brother. He has spikey black hair, long and defined facial features, a perfect nose, mesmerizing amber eyes that sparkle with exuberance and joy whenever he smiles. And his personality is just one I can… Relate to; communicate with without feeling any anxiety or apprehension…" My words trailed off as I stared out the window into the parking lot of the apartment building.

"He seems really amazing." Mom commented then sipped the last of her coffee before leaning forward and placing the empty mug on the wobbly coffee table.

"Yeah… He is pretty great." I mused with a genuine smile playing at the corners of my chapped lips.

"If he's as incredible as you say he is…" She began, her words trailing off causing me to look at her.

"What?" I asked, interested of her opinion on Mako; my smile fading away slowly as I imagined the worst.

"If he's as incredible as you say he is… Then…" Her words trailed off once again, making me impatient.

"What?" I asked again, trying to coax an answer out of her. "Then what?" I asked as the impatience in my mind finally revealed itself through my voice.

"Then you should try your hardest to hold onto him…" She stated, getting a confused expression from me.

"What do you mean?" I asked with slight angst in my tone; a lick of questioning fire burning my tongue, trying to escape my mouth, but reluctance won the mental battle.

"What I mean, Korra," mom began, moving closer to me then placing both her hands atop my broad shoulders, "if you feel like you're the strongest being in the world around him, as if nothing can bring you down, then hold onto him… If you feel like he's your cane to keep you balanced, let him be your cane. If you feel as if he's the key to your feelings, let him be that key." She stated with great emotion. "What I'm trying to say is that if you feel you can relate to him, don't hold back… If there's a chance to get closer to him, take it; a chance to have him be the one to comfort you when you're at your lowest point, don't push it away because of your social anxiety… You should take the chance…" She finished.

I sat there with a look of shock on my face, not knowing that a smile grew on my lips; not knowing a tear of joy had rolled down my cheek. I hugged her, tightly, trying to express to her my feelings that of which I cannot put in words at the moment. All I could think off to say was one simple phrase; three words that might be of the greatest meaning known to humankind. "I love you." I said with all the love and emotion I could gather.

"I love you, too." She replied with another more-than-notable phrase that means so much to anyone and everyone.

I looked at the clock on the wall: 6:56. "Mom, we have to leave in 4 minutes." I said as we both let go of each other reluctantly.

We both walked out of the apartment a few minutes later, ready for the day ahead of us. Mom walked to the bus that would take her to work, and I walked to the bus that would take me to school.

I draped the broken shoulder strap of my back-pack over my shoulder, realizing I forgot to fix it. I turned the corner of Chain Street onto Dragon Flats Ave to find the same kids from the other day staring at me, but this time they were all smiling.

The group of the Earth Kingdom natives, let's call them EK's, walked up to me. They greeted me as if they knew me for years.

"Hey, Korra!" A girl with a velvety smooth voice greeted before fist-ponding me. She wore pretty ratty clothes, like mine. Everyone who was waiting for the bus looked 'dirty dressed' as well.

"Telling off Eska was the most awesome thing I've ever seen. Especially beating her up!" The girl continued.

"Yeah!" A boy said from behind me. The Fire Nation group, or FN's, approached me and the EK's. "That was pretty bad-ass!" He complimented.

"I wouldn't have thought you as the cussing type. You seem so quiet." The two Air Nomads', or AN's, walked up to the growing group.

Before I could reply to anyone, the two girls' from the Swamps came up to me and the group. "Yeah, you only seem to talk to the Banshay Brothers' and Miss Heiress." One of them stated.

"What did she say again!?" The girl from the EK's asked out loud.

"I think she said 'I told you not to fuck with me, you fucking dick licking, cum guzzling, skull-fucking, ass-grease swallowing, prick sucking, amateur ball-sack handling, fist-fucking, dumb shit bag of dirty discharge packed clitty litter!' 'er somethin' like that" A guy from the FN's said, re-stating my insult to Eska.

"Where'd you learn all those insults!?" An AN asked.

What I wanted to say was 'because I was called all those things separately throughout my life in the south.' But I refrained from doing so. "I just… Know them…" I stated tersely.

The bus rolled up and I sighed in relief before I got on. I could finally have some space. But as I made my way toward the back, I was pulled into a seat next to the smooth-voiced EK girl. I let out an 'OOMF' as I hit the seat.

"Do you like Nirvana!?" She asked as she took out her phone and plugged in some ear-buds.

"Yeah." I replied. "They're cool."

"I'm Kuhla, by the way! Put this in your right ear!" She handed me the ear-bud.

I stuck in my right ear before she pressed play. Smells like Teen Spirit began to play and I couldn't help but tap my heel to the beat.

A couple songs later, we arrived at the stop to pick up Mako and Bolin. "I'm really sorry, Kuhla. I'm gonna go sit with Mako and Bolin." I apologized as I picked up my bag.

"It's alright!" She exclaimed. "The Banshay Brothers' are cool!" She finished as she stuck the ear-bud I was using in her ear.

I quickly made my way to the back of the bus and sat in the same seat I did yesterday.

Mako was the first one to board the bus. As soon as he saw me, he quickly moved to where I was and sat down beside me; Bolin sitting in the seat beside us.

"Hey, Korra!" Mako greeted happily.

"Morning, Korra!" Bolin greeted with a large smile.

"Hey, guys." I greeted with equal enthusiasm, but feeling tired. It's probably because I woke up at five in the morning instead of my usual time of 6:30. I let out a yawn and absentmindedly rested my head back. I closed my eyes and instantly fell asleep.

When I became conscious, I felt that I was leaning on something sturdy and rather comfortable. I opened my eyes and looked up to see Mako staring at me.

"Hey, Korra. You fell asleep… On me." He said, but I could really care less. I'm tired and want to sleep. Mako just happens to be the next best comfortable object sitting next to me.

"Oh, sorry." I apologized, but made no attempt to move or lift my head up.

He let out a low chuckle. "It's alright. You can rest your head on my shoulder." He allowed, giving me permission to sleep on him.

"AWWWW!" Bolin exclaimed. "That's SOOOOO adorable!" He said attracting attention from practically everyone on the bus.

This caused Mako to kick Bolin in the arm then move further into the window seat so no one else could see us. It's like he was protecting me.

I woke up again, but this time we arrived at school and Mako's head was atop mine which was resting on his shoulder. I shook him awake from his other shoulder.

"It was an accident, I swear…" He mumbled before he opened his eyes. "Oh… Hey, Korra…" He rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"C'mon, or else we'll be late for homeroom." I said as I quickly pulled on my back pack and stepped off the bus, Mako following suit.

We ran up the stairs to the third floor and just made it to homeroom before the 8:00 bell. I sat down behind Mako, In front of Bolin, and beside Asami.

Once attendance and announcements were done, Asami abruptly turned to me. "You three forgot about detention. I was the only one out the four of us who went. Even Tahno and rest came."

I sighed guiltily. "I know, I'm sorry…" I said, truly apologetic. I then think to ask her if it was alright to ask if she can give us three a ride after detention, if she's willing. "Uh… Asami…?" I began, but started to think that maybe it's too much to ask.

She looked up to me from staring down at her desk top, acknowledging my presence. Oh, geez! she already looks a little pissed with me… Or is that meant for Mako and Bolin as well? Even so, she looks a bit too intimidating for me to approach with such a simple question. So I did the next best thing: silently asking Mako for help.

He was leaning back on my desk with his elbows so I subtly slid my forearm forward, nudging his left elbow. He turned around and looked to me while I was still trying to make eye-contact with Asami and her somewhat alluring jade-green eyes.

I saw him do a double-take out of the corner of my eye. He seemed to see the fear in my motives because he began to speak. "So Korra…" He started, making himself comfortable at his desk. "You're comin' over my house after DT, right?" He asked, knowing the answer, but I played along and just nodded my head. "Asami, we don't have a ride. So I was wondering if you could drop us off?" He asked, getting straight to the point as if he has the impatient trait.

"Totally! I'll pick you guys up at 3:30. Cool?" She asked, making sure the time fit into the schedule of our detention.

"Perfect!" Mako replied before the bell rang.

Mako walked over to Bolin, who was sleeping soundly with his head down. "Wake up, Bro!" Mako exclaimed as he shook his brother awake.

"It was Pabu… Why would I eat all those delicious cookies…?" Bolin mumbled as he awoke.

"Get up, Bo! We have math." He said, pulling him up from the chair.

_'I really don't know where math __**is**__'_ I say to myself as I walk out the door of homeroom before running into Asami, who's paused in the hallway checking her schedule. She jolted forward a bit, but surprisingly kept her balance on those bizarre (in my opinion) high-heels of hers.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Asami!" I say as I pick up the math book she dropped when I bumped into her. "I didn't see you there…" 'Whoa! Déjà vu…' I thought, remembering just yesterday when Asami almost ran me over then stated the same apology.

"It's alright, Korra." She said, brushing the entire situation off her shoulder like I just slightly brushed shoulders with her. Then she saw the worry and confusion on my face. "Lost?" she asked in a friendly manner as she took a step closer.

"Uh… Um- Yeah- Uh, I mean I- I uh… Guess so…" I confessed anxiously, not wanting to show fear or confusion but sadly failing miserably.

"What class do you have?" She asked, taking a quick look at my schedule. "Algebra 1 acp with Mr. Ryhu. That's right across the hall from my math class- c'mon! Let's go!" She exclaimed then dragged me by the wrist through the hall, down the stairs, and out the doors to the next building over where the math department was.

She slowed down her pace, finally giving back feeling to my wrist and comfort back to my character. I honestly don't like it when people touch me without permission **(don't take that out of context!)**. It makes me feel uncomfortable when someone does.

"I wanna know more about you." Asami confessed, looking at me with those eyes again.

"W- what do you mean? I mean… Like- Uh… What do you want to know…?" I stuttered, scratching my head absentmindedly.

"What's your favorite car?" She asked, probably the first thing off the top of her head.

I can tell this is going to be a long day. I just hope the end of it comes faster than expected. It seems so far away from now; further than I'd like it to be. But if this is a chance to establish a relationship with this beautiful and modest heiress, then I don't wanna waste another moment in holding back what I have to offer for a great friendship instead of letting my anxiety build up inside of me. I just have to force it down and take a chance. If I get made fun of, I'll just have to think of it as nothing; I have to not care what others think of me, but to have them know me before they judge. I'm instigating a war with my mind I might not be able to handle, but I'm gonna try. And to me that's progress.

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**Dinner is ready and it smells delicious. It smells like Pollock food. Yummy :D**

**Anyhow, I'll see you gator-cats on the flip side B|**

**-TheClaudMaster**


	8. A Dreadful, But Happy Day

**Sorry this chapter seems a bit short. I swear it was much longer on Microsoft Word.**

**Whatever, just enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!**

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Chapter 8

"My favorite car…?" I said to myself aloud as I turned my head to think. "Probably a 1978 El Camino…" I decided, remembering my father's ocean blue car that he bought for $900 at an auction in the downtown of the west village in the south.

"That's pretty cool." She stated as she strut beside me, seemingly absentmindedly. She just kept walking; keeping her head up, looking everyone who passed us in the eye with an expression of irrelevance. Not to judge, no, but to show everyone that she doesn't care what they think; that she knows she's strong enough to keep walking and pay no mind anyone around her. I envy that quality.

"Yeah, uh… I uh- I guess so…" I stuttered, a bit intimidated -once again- by her very posture; her strut, expensive clothing, perfect hair, nicely-done makeup, her spellbinding eyes… Just her poise in general.

I know I shouldn't be jealous, but it's rather difficult not to be. I feel so insignificant around her, like I don't deserve to even be in her presence. It's so conflicting. Then again, everything about my life is conflicting. Augh! I'm so confused right now. My mind is muddled with these different thoughts and feelings that cause me so much discomfort I can't take it. I just want to crawl in a dark, wet corner and die while crying out all my frustrations; to take out all the rage built up within me on a solid, stone wall with my fists. I don't want to feel like this, yet I can't run away from it. I've faced everything in my life with little to know confidence and I want that to change… But I'm too afraid of what the outcome might be if I try.

"Korra… Korra! KORRA!" Asami yelled, pulling me out of my own mind.

I snapped my head up from the ground and saw Asami holding the door to the building open. "Oh, uh… I, uh- I'm sorry…" I apologized nervously with a stammer.

"It's fine. Now we better get to class before the bell rings." She advised as I nodded my head and followed her inside.

"Alright, your class is there…" She pointed to a door that had the number 3 above it. "And this is my class…" She pointed to the door behind her with the number 4 above it. "Bolin and I will meet you and Mako out here in the hall when class is done; we'll walk to our classes together, alright?" She reassured me like she knew what I was thinking.

I nodded my head. "Yeah… Alright…" I simply said before she gave me a small smile then went to her class.

I walked through room three to see everyone wasn't staring at me, but were all minding their own shit for once. I saw Mako, but only because he was waving both his hands back and forth like a mental patient. A large grin on his face caused me to let a small smile creep onto the corners of my lips.

I walked to the back of the room (the back row, thank you very much), and as soon as I sat down next to him, the bell rang. I propped my bag up against the leg of the desk and turned my attention to the teacher, who began to state the rules of his class and the school.

"My name is Mr. Ryhu." He greeted every one. "As you all know there're rules here we need to follow, now," Mr. Ryhu was cut off by a couple of kids walking into the class, but I was too busy sketching in the back of my notebook to pay attention.

"Sorry we're late." A familiar, androgynous sounding voice said that made mine and Mako's heads snap up to see who exactly it was. "Here's a note." It was Tahno, Amy, Rick, and Eska, whose nose was in a bandage.

"How nice of you to join us, you four…" Mr. Ryhu's words trailed off as he gave them a confused stare. "Say, aren't you four in my **cp** algebra class?" He asked.

"We've been transferred." Rick said with a sly grin as he eyed Mako and I.

"I see our seats right over there…" Tahno pointed to the four, free seats on either side of us in the back row.

They unnecessarily strut their way, rather badly, down the aisle and sat next to us; Tahno and Eska to our right, and Amy and Rick to our left. They all gave us dirty looks before Mr. Ryhu began to speak once again.

"As I was saying…" He began, clasping his hands together. He then pulled down a large, white screen. "Um… You." Mr. Ryhu pointed to me, causing me to straighten my posture. "You must be new here, what is your name?" He asked.

I swallowed hard, making a loud noise as I did so. Everyone turned to look at me, getting the dirtiest looks from the four sitting beside Mako and I. 'Why am I so nervous? All he's asking me to do is state my name' I thought then swallowed once more, my breathing becoming a bit heavy. 'But what if he asks me to tell my whole life story? No, no! Stop it, Korra! Why the hell would he ask something so personal!? Just say your name! And DON'T say 24! I thought once again then swallowed my fear. "Korra Jin…" I said just loud enough for the teacher to hear.

"Alright, Korra." He said then pointed to the projector next to me. "Could you turn on the projector?"

I nodded then simply tapped the power button. The projector shined its light onto the screen on front of the classroom and a PowerPoint presentation instantly came up with a set of rules on it. Oh, how creative. The title is 'Rules.'

"First rule: No fighting or bullying in this classroom." He began to state the rules, emphasizing the first one to ensure everyone that there is a zero-tolerance for bullying rule… Well, at least when the faculty is actually paying attention.

"Second rule:" he continued, "Do not use pen. If you do you'll lose ten points **(true story)**." Literally everyone in the room groaned in frustration before leaning down to their bags, digging through them to replace their pens with pencils. I understand that rule. What if you make a mistake? You'll have to cross out instead of just erasing, which is an easier option in my opinion. Besides, this is a senior acp math class. Shouldn't everyone be used to the fact that they have to use a pencil in algebra?

"Hey! You're all seniors… You should know this by now." Mr. Ryhu said, reiterating my thoughts. "Third rule: no using profane language in my classroom; no using profane language on campus at all, even." I looked around the room and instantly saw the expressions that wanted to shout every cuss known to man at the top of their lungs, just because Mr. Ryhu told them not to.

"Fourth rule: no talking while I'm talking; no talking during tests, or during study time, etc…" Mr. Ryhu continued, receiving nothing from the class but a couple giggles here and there.

"And the fifth and final rule…" He clapped his hands together. "Do not be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand something, or come for help before or after school if you need tutoring or help from me personally." He finished. "Questions?" He glanced around the room before a boy sitting in the front row raised his hand. Mr. Ryhu sighed in irritation as if he knew this boy gave him a hard time. "Yes, Howl…?" He addressed, jogging my memory and making me realize that 'Howl' was the kid from P.E. the other day who asked Mr. T that stupid question.

"The fifth rule isn't quite a rule. It's more of a statement…" He said skeptically, though his tone of voice sounded as if he was smirking.

Mr. Ryhu sighed once more, getting more giggles and held-back laughs from the class. "Howl…" He began in an annoyed manner. "What you just said was a statement, therefore contradicting your rather sad attempt to brand me foolish." He said as if he was an English major in a court of law, successfully proving the defendant guilty.

Everyone laughed at Howl's expense. Even I let a small grin find its way to my lips. "Well… I just thought you'd like to know…" He concluded, undeniably embarrassed.

The bell rang 25 minutes later, and Mako and I walked to Spanish, which was just writing down notes then finishing homework in class. B period: study was just Mako, Bolin, Asami, and I trying to get work done, but we all ended up trying to draw each other. Mako, being the artist of the group, obviously drew the best portrait of me.

Lunch time wasn't all that interesting. All we talked about was how dreadfully mind-numbing classes were, about how decent the cafeteria was, and how much Bolin loves food, especially cookies and Dr. Pepper.

During Biology, all we did was just work on our projects. And by 'we', I don't mean the entire class, I mean Mako and I, who were literally the only two people gave two shits about our grade on it. Everyone else was just fucking around on their phones and having loud, personal conversations that seemed to get on no one else's nerves but mine and Mako's.

Music was terrible. All we did was listen to music and write down how we felt about it. I wouldn't mind if Miss JD played some classic alternative instead of ancient Latin music that no one has heard of. And as soon as that bell rang, I was the first one out the door, annoyed with the class for no reason whatsoever.

During period E: English, we copied down a few notes from a PowerPoint presentation about works of non-fiction that relates to the story the class is going to read next week, The Freedom Writers Diary. We also talked about how the book ties into The Diary of Anne Frank, the war that happened in Bosnia; wars that happened in general, such as the 'gang wars' that constantly take place in our own neighborhoods. I really couldn't wait to read the book. I'm antsy, I can't sit still; tapping my foot, shaking my leg, drumming my fingers on the desk- nothing can get this energy of sudden enthusiasm out of me. But the bell soon rang, and everyone was out the door, ready to go home.

I trudged up the stairs from the first floor to the third floor where my locker is located. I put away and grab textbooks, shoving them into my locker and into my shitty back-pack. I slung the sack over my shoulder then began to walk down the stairs, ready to leave.

But Bolin caught me on the stairs. He put his hand out to stop me. "Hey, Korra!" He greeted with enthusiasm that abruptly turned to mild skepticism. "Where ya goin'? We have DT, remember?" He reminded me, making me mentally face palm.

'Wow, this is embarrassing' I thought to myself, the enjoyment that found me during English had left my spirit as fast as it had come, replacing it with unnecessary anxiety. "Oh, yeah!" I exclaimed. "Augh, I- Ugh, I guess I just forgot." I groaned out, unhappy with my stammer.

But Bolin just let it roll off his shoulder. "It's alright." He assured me. "Everyone forgets." He gave me a smile that was just so goddamn contagious. I couldn't stop myself from letting an amused giggle escape my throat. He let out a short giggle as well before I turned around and walked with him to our homeroom in which the detention takes place.

Once we walked into the room, we saw Mako sitting in his seat. So we decided to follow his lead and sit in our assigned seats as well.

"Hey, guys!" Mako greeted with excitement as he twisted in his desk to face us. Thrill shimmered and gleamed like stars in his sun-like amber eyes whenever he looked to me, which made me feel kind of special judging by the soft smile he gave me, teeth barely showing through his pink lips.

"Why are you so excited, Mako?" Bolin asked with incredulity and suspicion laced in through his words, knitting a metaphorical sweater of uncertainty at his brother's motives for being so gleeful during such a dreadful hour and 15 minutes. "You hate office DT's! Hell, you hate DT_ in general_!" He exclaimed, pointing out his brother's happiness while others in the room gave us dirty looks for being too loud.

Mako looked down at his sneakers, probably thinking up an excuse. "Well, I'm just in a good mood…" He said then looked to me. "And I don't want something as trivial as detention to ruin it." He finished as he flashed a smile at me Bolin didn't seem to notice. There it was again, though. 'That glimmer in his eye… What does that mean?' I thought as I brushed it off before principal Nathans walked into the room.

I looked to Mako, who stared with a grimace on his face directed toward him. That glistening twinkle in his sun-colored eyes, gone, exchanged with a burning fire of determination and ire. It was as if his entire demeanor had been replaced with an angry cynic who wants nothing more than to prove his worth to someone who doesn't deserve to be walking on the plane of those who're justified to; who need to.

Mako focused his gaze onto me, eyes softened as to indicate he's not mad at me. "Come, on." He said getting up and pulling on my arm for me to follow. "Let's go tell him what really happened."

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**Hope y'all enjoyed... :|**

**-TheClaudMaster**


	9. Jesus of Suburbia

**I'm so sorry for the late update, I had no internet at my gran'ma's house and I just got home about a half an hour ago. Then I had to update to a new version of Windows 8 or whatever the fuck you wanna call it, but I'm here now and this chapter is longer as an apology for the late update.**

**Rate, Review, and Enjoy the virtual apology pie I've baked for all of you :3**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Legend of Korra or any of the real life products or businesses that may be mentioned in this chapter**

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Chapter 9

**(Before I continue: Special thanks to MaKorraLove7 for suggesting 'the phone convo' in the previous chapter, and for overall inspiration.)**

Mako tugged on my arm. His hands were warm to the touch and callused; the hands of a worker. I couldn't help but marvel at that fact. It's as if his touch was intoxicating.

"Come on, we gotta tell him what happened." He said once again then dragged me over to where Principal Nathans sat at the desk in the front of the room.

We both approached the desk. Mako cleared his throat, making Nathans look up to us. "This is detention." He stated sternly. "Now please go back to your seats, face forward, and stay quiet."

"But we have to tell you what actually happened in the cafeteria." Mako began despite Nathans command.

He let out an annoyed sigh. "Yes? What about it?" He asked, not really wanting to listen.

"We fought out of self-defense." Mako began, gesturing to his-self and me. "They verbally attacked us first. Then Tahno threw the first punch, then a couple minutes later, Rick pushed her into the lockers and punched her in the face." He finished, waiting for a response from Nathans.

He gave us a confused look. "Richard told me Korra had pushed him into the lockers then 'dropkicked' him…"

"That is true, but she only did that because HE punched her FIRST!" Mako exclaimed.

Nathans looked to me. "Is this true, Korra?" He asked, sitting up straight.

"Yes." I answered simply.

"And why were you, your brother, and Miss Sato involved?" He directed to Mako.

"Because four against one isn't fair!" He replied, gritting his teeth. "We're her friends and needed to help her!"

I couldn't keep myself from blushing slightly at his statement. Not the statement itself, but the way he said it made me feel like I wasn't alone; like I walk with my head held high and not have only my shadow be the only one to walk beside my; not have my shallow heart be the only thing that's beating. **(Yes! It's a Green Day reference!)**

Principal Nathans said nothing, just sat there with his jaw hanging loose on its hinges like a broken door.

"I just wanted to let you know that it's unjustified to hear only one side of the story and assume that the first thing you hear is the truth…" Mako's words trailed off as he stared into Nathans regretful eyes.

"I'm sorry…" He breathed out. "You three may leave if you'd like… I shouldn't have presumed… I'll talk to the four of them first thing tomorrow morning." He finished.

"Thank you, Principal Nathans…" Mako forced out insincerely, but managed to make sound genuine to Nathans ears. "Come on, Bo."

"Comin'!" Bolin stood up, threw on his sweater, and then followed us out the door.

We walked out the front door of the school and stopped at the stairs. "I'mma call Asami…" Mako said aloud as he pulled his phone out then quickly dialed a number. He put it to his ear, and I could hear it ring. The conversation was loud enough for Bolin and I to hear.

*Phone Conversation*: Key – **Mako **- Asami - (Actions and shit)

Hey, Mako! What's up? I thought you were in detention… (She asked skeptically as the sound of a drill was heard in the background)

**We were. But once Korra and I explained what happened to Nathans, he apologized then let us leave… Surprisingly.** (Mako shuffled around the sidewalk, playing with his scarf as Bolin and I watched him pace back and forth, listening intently to the conversation at hand)

That's great! But… What is he gonna do about Eska and the rest…? (She wondered as tools were hears in a clatter)

**He said he'd talk to them first thing tomorrow morning, but I dunno if he's gonna suspend them 'er whatever. But I was wondering if you could give us a lift now, or if we have to wait until 3:30…** (He kicked a pebble and rubbed a scuff-mark off of his sneaker as he waited for Asami to respond)

(There was a long pause then a clang of metal clash with cement followed by a string of muttered cusses) … Um… I can skip the 10 minute meeting with the car-crew and meet you guys around 3:20? (She suggested with a slight grunt as the sound of a wrench tightening a bolt was heard)

**No, no. You're the president of the Motor Shop. You should stay for the meeting. There're like, what, 30 people in shop? You should be there to, you Know…? Keep order and everything…** (Mako countered, rather poorly, in an attempt to change Asami's mind)

(She let out a short giggle) There's only 19 people including me at shop, Mako. It's fine. Besides, there's a co-president to 'keep order' while I'm gone.

**I know… Alright. What time is it now?** (Mako asked as he stopped pacing)

It's, uh… 2:50 right now- 2:51 (She said with a long breath after she finished.

**Alright, we'll do something in the meantime. Like get some food 'er somethin'.** (He suggested)

Sounds good! I gotta go, the oil in the car we're working on is leaking. Get me some food, too. (She said in a haste)

**I will. Bye 'Sami.**

See ya later

(*BEEP*)

*End of Phone Conversation*

"OH, OH! I wanna go to Wendy's!" Bolin suggested, shouting in my ear.

"Ow…" I said as I stuck my pinkie into my ear and massaged to ease the pain.

Bolin sheepishly chuckled. "Sorry, Korr…" He apologized, shortening my name.

I bowed my head and blushed for reasons unknown to me. "It's, uh… It's okay." I reassured him. I lifted my head a bit then and caught a glimpse of him blush in response. _'What's that about?'_ I asked myself. _'Does he like me or something? No, that's ridiculous. He thought we were 'cute' when he caught us leaning against each other on the bus… Unless he was hiding his envy. Maybe that's why he pointed it out, getting the attention of everyone on the bus to make us feel uncomfortable with each other…_ I thought then quickly brushed that theory off. _'No, that's absurd. Bolin is too nice of a person to do that… I don't know, this is so confusing._ I concluded before snapping my attention to Bolin, who was snapping his fingers in my face.

"Hey, Korra! Daydreamin'?" He asked with a playful grin plastered on his face.

"No, just… I just zoned out." I said. "I'm fine, really." I gave him a smile absentmindedly which he returned along with a deep chuckle.

"Hey, Mako!" Bolin called, causing Mako to look up from his phone.

"Yeah, Bo?" He asked, putting his phone in his jean's pocket.

"Where we goin' to eat?" He asked, rubbing his stomach to indicate he's hungry.

"Oh, right!" He said as if he had forgotten. And to be honest, I forgot too up until now. "Uh, we can go to Wendy's like you suggested." He settled.

"Alright, let's go." Bolin said as we started to walk in the direction of the restaurant. "It takes five minutes to walk to Wendy's, it's 2:55 now," he continued as he pulled out his phone to look at the time, "… We'll get there by 3:00 then probably stay there to eat for 10 minutes. That way we'll be back at the school parking lot 5 minutes before Asami said she'll be out." He concluded, doing the math in 30 seconds or less that Mako and I would take at least 5 long minutes to figure out.

As Bolin predicted, we arrived at Wendy's 5 minutes later. We walked through the door and approached the counter. A young man turned the corner from behind a rack containing food and other sorts of things. He had a short, bleach-blonde fauxhawk and a piercing in his septum.

"What can I get you guys?" He asked with a jaded tone.

Bolin was quick to answer. "I'll have a Double-Baconator without mayo, large fries, 6-piece chicken nuggets with barbeque sauce, a small chili, and a large soda." He finished in one breath as if he ordered the same thing every time he came here.

The man, whose name tag read 'Kurt', placed the order into the computer then looked to Mako. "What'll you have?" He asked, getting ready to type it in.

"I'll just have a small Apple Pecan Salad with raspberry dressing and a small soda." He said simply without having to take a look at the menu.

Kurt typed in his order then looked to me with the same disinterested tone and expression. "And you?"

I really don't know what I want, nor would I have the confidence to place a full order, let alone make a coherent sentence without stammering. So I just said the first thing that came to my mind. "… I'll have the same…" I said, pointing with my thumb briefly to Mako.

"Oh! And a small Grilled Chicken Salad with a small soda." Bolin added.

"Right!" Mako exclaimed. "For Asami…"

He typed in the two orders. "That'll be $19.75." He said.

Mako pulled out an old and frayed brown leather wallet that looks like it went through the washing machine. He took out a 20 dollar bill and handed it to the cashier. Suddenly I feel guilty for causing Mako to pay for my food.

"It'll be out in a minute." He said before placing three cups, one large and two small, on the counter.

We grabbed our cups then went to go fill them up; Bolin getting Dr. Pepper, and Mako and I getting Coca-Cola, along with seltzer for Asami. One minute later, we got our food then sat down eat at a table next to a large window.

Bolin spread out his meal, taking up most of the room on his side of the table. He began to eat right away, gnawing violently at his burger like he hasn't eaten in weeks.

Mako takes his time, spreading the pecans over the salad evenly along with the dressing. He took small bites and chewed his meal, unlike his brother who basically just shoves the food in his mouth.

I take my time, too. I don't use the salad dressing, but I spread the pecans over the salad before I begin to eat. For some reason, I feel weird eating in public. I don't usually don't eat salad. My diet highly consists of mostly meats, which is rather necessary for my martial art workouts. But I guess this is a nice adjustment, eating something actually healthy for a change rather than fruit, meat, and coffee.

We talked about one topic during our meal: video games. Apparently, Mako and Bolin own a PS3 with tons of games like **(not sure if most of these titles are for Sony)** Outlast, Grand Theft Auto IV and V, The Last of Us, Assassin's Creed 3, Tomb Raider, The Orange Box Collection, Beyond Two Souls, all that stuff. When I was a kid, all I had was a Sega Genesis with only Sonic The Hedgehog to play.

"Alright!" Bolin breathed. "Looks like it's time to go." He said as he gathered all the trash on the table then threw it away, placing the trays on top of the garbage can.

Mako grabbed the bag with Asami's food in it then we were out the door.

Just as Bolin predicted, once again, we were back at school in 5 minutes flat. We saw Asami leaning against her car with her phone out, maybe calling or texting someone.

"Oh! Hey, I was just gonna call you guys." Asami said after she saw us walking toward her.

As we got closer, I saw that her clothes were covered in motor oil as well as her cheeks, and her hair was tied at the back in the middle.

"Well, we're here now. And we got you food." Bolin replied before gesturing toward the plastic bag Mako was holding with the Wendy's logo on it.

"Thanks. What is it?" She asked as she pushed herself off the trunk of the car with her elbow.

"It's a Grilled Chicken Salad." Mako answered, handing her the bag.

"We better get goin'." Bolin spoke up. "Uncle Toza's gonna get truly pissed if we're not home by 4:00." He said then hopped in the front seat of Asami's Cobra. "Shot-Gun!" He yelled.

Asami got in the driver's seat and started up the engine. "Use the left door, the other one's stuck." She stated.

Mako opened the car door then gestured inside. "After you." He said politely in his deep voice. He held out his hand.

I took it without hesitation then slid inside the car, him sliding in after me. "Thanks…" I said awkwardly, a blush rising to my cheeks for like the third time today.

"You're welcome." He reciprocated the awkwardness with just as much confidence as me, which is little to none.

I pulled the seatbelt over my chest then clicked it into its outlet. I took notice of the upholstery, which is shiny, black leather; smooth to the touch.

"Everybody buckled in!?" Asami asked in a loud voice, revving the engine twice.

"Yeah!" The three of us answered in unison.

"Alright…" She shifted the gear into reverse. Throwing her right arm to grip on the headrest of Bolin's seat, she violently backed out of the space with perfect precision. She brought her arm back around then quickly grabbed hold of the gearshift; putting it into drive, practically forcing the pedal to the metal, she drove out of the parking lot and onto the street with a sharp turn that made Korra jerk abruptly against the door and tightly grip the handle above the backseat window.

"Oh! Sorry, Korra." Asami apologized, looking at her in the rearview mirror. "I forgot you're not used to my driving."

"No, it's fine…" Korra nervously reassured. "It's just that I haven't been in a car for a while…"

"Here… Let's put on some music." Bolin suggested as he clicked on the radio then pressed the CD button. "This is American Idiot, right Asami?" Bolin asked, making sure he was correct.

"Yeah…" She replied, quickly facing him to answer before turning her eyes back to the road. Suddenly she slammed on the brakes. "Shit! Traffic!" She exclaimed.

"Looks like we're gonna be stuck here for a while." Mako pointed out as he brought up his right knee to his chest, embracing it.

The music came on and Bolin skipped it to the second track. In fact, it was one of my favorite songs on the album: Jesus of Suburbia.

_I'm the son of rage and love  
The Jesus of Suburbia  
From the bible of, none of the above  
On a steady diet of  
Soda pop and Ritalin  
No one ever died for my sins in hell  
As far as I can tell  
At least the ones I got away with_

The four of us began to absentmindedly move to the beat; Asami rapping her fingers on the steering wheel, Bolin bobbing his head, Mako tapping his knuckles against his knee and mouthing the words, and I tapped my heels to the guitar.__

And there's nothin' wrong with me  
This is how I'm supposed to be  
In a land of make believe  
That don't believe in me

Whispering began to echo throughout the car, becoming louder with every verse. It's a very powerful track, and relatable to me in a way. Just by connecting your life with a song can wash all your troubles away. It doesn't have to be the actual meaning of the song that connects you to the music; it's what happens in your own life that makes you create that certain connotation.__

Get my television fixed  
Sitting on my crucifix  
In the living room or my private womb  
While the Moms and Brats are away  
To fall in love and fall in debt  
To alcohol and cigarettes  
And Mary Jane  
To keep me insane,  
Doin' someone else's cocaine

I absentmindedly began to whisper the lyrics as the rest's words were a normal, audible tone. I didn't want to raise my voice any higher in fear of being made fun of or misjudged as 'subliminally impulsive' as I like to call the term. But it seems the three of them have accepted me with open arms instantly and recognize me as their friend. So why would they pull the risky move of pushing me away by making me feel insecure? They wouldn't. They're all too nice to do something as cruel as to cause me more anxiety than I already hold. Though my own mind tells me differently.__

And there's nothing wrong with me  
This is how I'm supposed to be  
In a land of make believe  
That don't believe in me

But Billie Joe Armstrong just grabbed me by the wrist and forced me to raise my voice; telling me to be heard, and that as long as I don't care about anyone's pre-judged opinion it's okay to speak up; to not be afraid of any outlandish repercussions. His voice blew through the self-installed speakers of the car as a whirlwind of reassuring words that caused me to raise my voice at part 2 of the song: City of The Damned.__

At the center of the Earth  
In the parking lot  
Of the 7-11 where I was taught  
The motto was just a lie  
It says home is where your heart is  
But what a shame  
Cause everyone's heart  
Doesn't beat the same  
It's beating out of time

Mako seemed to have heard my voice, because he looked over at me with a wide smile plastered on his face; gleaming eyes of amber telling me it's alright to continue. So that's what I did: I kept on singing with the rest of them in unison, throwing away my insecurities as I imagined Billie Joe himself smiling proudly at my progress.__

City of the dead  
At the end of another lost highway  
Signs misleadin' to nowhere  
City of the damned  
Lost children with dirty faces today  
No one really seems to care

It felt as if the lyrics flowed from me like a broken faucet; like sand from a dirt road rising into the air in stillness; as if fire was dancing with its orange and white flames flickering for not an audience, but for itself. It was as if I was a leaf in the wind. I felt a sense of peacefulness and pure joy having Mako look at me with those amber eyes and smile at me with an unreadable subcategory of happiness that I couldn't quite put my finger on. But I liked it. It was… Comforting, and supportive in a way unexplainable even to myself.__

I read the graffiti  
In the bathroom stall  
Like the holy scriptures of the shopping mall  
And so it seemed to confess  
It didn't say much  
But it only confirmed that  
The center of the earth  
Is the end of the world  
And I could really care less

We all got way into the song, so we decided to opened our windows and blast the speakers. For what reason? I honestly don't know. Maybe it's a subconscious intuition that makes us young adults want for everyone around them to hear our music; hear and genuinely to how we feel. Either that or we're just extremely obnoxious.__

City of the dead  
At the end of another lost highway  
Signs misleadin' to nowhere  
City of the damned  
Lost children with dirty faces today  
No one really seems to care

We shouted the last verse to City of The Damned out the window in unadulterated bliss and ecstasy, getting a few strange looks from pedestrians before I Don't Care began to play its head-banging beat and guitar.__

I don't care if you don't  
I don't care if you don't  
I don't care if you don't care  
[X4]

I don't care

Everyone is so full of shit  
Born and raised by hypocrites  
Hearts recycled but never saved  
From the cradle to the grave  
We are the kids of war and peace  
From Anaheim to the middle east  
We are the stories and disciples  
Of the Jesus of suburbia

In my mind, the lyrics reiterated my home life, and just made me feel so much better getting out my frustrations through Green Day rather than through my bedroom door or wall. It was like this Album was written for me personally, the way it replicates my thoughts though through differing associations.__

Land of make believe  
And don't believe in me  
Land of make believe  
And I don't believe  
And I don't care!  
I don't care! [x4]

Part 3: I Don't Care ended then swiftly transitioned into part 4: Dearly Beloved, which we all sang together in unison; trapped in the lyrics and melody as if were a wonderful prison of our innermost thoughts. The one's that make you sit in silence, completely still, staring at a wall without blinking, and just think for hours on end.__

Dearly beloved are you listenin'?  
I can't remember a word that you were sayin'  
Are we demented or am I disturbed?  
The space that's in between insane and insecure

Oh, therapy, can you please fill the void?  
Am I retarded or am I just overjoyed?  
Nobody's perfect and I stand accused  
For lack of a better word, and that's my best excuse

The heavy bass guitar from Tales of Another Broken Home flamed through the speakers, snapping us back to attention to sing along with Billie Joe with great significance and worth._  
To live and not to breathe  
Is to die in tragedy  
To run, to run away  
To find what you believe_

It made me think of the South Pole, my old home… And my father.__

And I leave behind  
This hurricane of fuckin' lies

Just like the lies and false morals of the southern village living in the past as opposed to living in this day and age, whose standards apply to justice rather than guidelines of pure idiocy forced unto the unsuspecting village by the olden days.__

I lost my faith to this,  
this town that don't exist  
So I run, I run away  
The lights of masochist

Just like I've lost faith in the place I grew up for 16 years in, living by absurd and preposterous laws that are essentially made by a dictator in a dictatorship. But to me, faith means one has always had belief and reliance in or of a certain situation and/or being. But when one has never had faith, it will always be a devotion brought on by a state of affairs that occur around you throughout life that cause you to believe in what you accept as true and logical.__

And I leave behind  
This hurricane of fuckin' lies  
And I walked this line  
A million and one fuckin' times  
But not this time

I truly want to leave behind and forget all the shit that was brought upon me by something my parents believed in; something that was right and just. But this is a chance to start anew; to start a new life with new friends and new surroundings. I do NOT want a repeat of what essentially caused my social anxiety. Though probably scientifically impossible, it feels as if that's the source of all my mental issues.__

I don't feel any shame, I won't apologize  
When there ain't nowhere you can go  
Running away from pain when you've been victimized  
Tales from another broken… HOOOOOOOME!

Do I feel any shame? No! How can I? I didn't have a child at the supposedly young age considered to be immoral by the Southern Tribe. I did not do the things my parents have, and I don't see a reason to be tormented for it. But I was, and soon the passionate ones had enough of it then decided to raid our house without a warrant, kill my father, and run from the scene of the crime they created. It's a sad tale from a broken home__

You're leavin'...  
You're leavin'...  
You're leavin'...  
Ah, you're leavin' home...

I've left home…

And I'm damn well proud of it.

* * *

**I worked hard on this chapter since I ****_obviously_**** had the time to. But I hope y'all at least liked the chapter a little bit. If you didn't, go find another story.**

**But in all seriousness, I'd appreciate feed back because I need something to smile at since its been a hard week.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, Favorites, and Follows. I love you all, and I'll see you cool cat-gators on the flip side B)**

**-TheClaudMaster**


	10. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

**Hey, guys. So I'm currently in Washington State on February Vacation visiting family for 2 weeks. This means I can't get in much writing because I'll be spending time with my Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin checkin' out the sights and shit. But I will try to update as often as I can and/or keep you all posted on what I'm gonna do and write and shit along those lines. You all get what I mean, right?**

**I'm going to try to update ****Old Problems, New Obstacles- Kiss Me, City Boy- and Suicide is Not the Answer.**** Not necessarily within the 2 weeks I'm in Washington, but this is just the list of stories that're my priority of updating for you guys. Maybe a couple others here and there; starting a new one or two for funzies, but I will, for a fact, get to updating the list of stories mentioned above. I promise you all.**

**Alright, I gotta get going. But I'll get writing within 2 days.**

**-TheClaudMaster**


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